A dad who has had four liver transplants before the age of 30 “can’t thank the donors enough” for giving him the chance to see his children grow up. Martin Dillett, 29, lives in Broxburn, West Lothian, with his wife Danielle and their two young daughters.
He had his first transplant when he was just three years old, after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease. The operation was a success, allowing him to enjoy a relatively normal childhood with his twin brother, Stuart.
But in September 2022, Martin’s health took a sudden downturn. After months of illness, Martin was told that the liver that had kept him alive for 25 years was failing.
He said: “My liver wasn’t functioning properly, so it was putting a lot more pressure on my kidneys and all my other organs to help out. All the toxins that your liver is meant to clear out of your body, it wasn’t doing that.”
The toxic build-up in his body led to multiple serious symptoms, including hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, weight loss, and constant itchiness. Despite ongoing treatment, his condition worsened, and in August 2023, his liver went into full failure. He was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), where he was placed in intensive care, waiting for a life-saving transplant.
At that time, Danielle, who was pregnant with their second child, said the family faced a terrifying ordeal: “We were really getting to a life-or-death situation and time was ticking on. Each day it became more likely he would be put into an induced coma.”
After 11 days in hospital, doctors found a liver match and performed the transplant. However, despite a successful operation, the organ failed to function. Martin was put back on the waiting list for another transplant. The very next day, another liver became available, and he was taken in for a second operation within 48 hours of the previous one.
Tragically, that liver also failed and Danielle was told “Martin’s body was shutting down”. She continued: “Doctors told me his situation was critical and his full team agreed to go back into surgery to see if they could reroute the portal vein, but they advised it may not work. We were told Martin was severely unwell and he may not survive the surgery.
“We were nearly out of hope. The doctors said if Martin didn’t get another liver in the next 12 to 24 hours he wouldn’t survive. We were told to expect the worst. We got told to bring in family to basically say our goodbyes. I really thought we were going to lose him. Every half-hour counted.”
In a last-ditch attempt to save his life, Martin’s surgeons decided to remove the failing liver altogether. He spent 36 hours without a liver, making him only the third patient in the RIE’s 30-year history to survive such a procedure.
Finally, another liver was found and Martin underwent a fourth transplant, which was thankfully successful. Reflecting on the ordeal, Martin said he feels incredibly lucky to have survived
He said: “I was just lucky that the consultants and the surgeons and everybody kept going and kept fighting to keep me alive. And luckily enough, my body withstood all the medication and the stress it was under to be well enough to be transplanted.”
Martin added that he hoped his story will inspire more people to become organ donors. He said: “You never know when it might be one in your family that needs it. For instance myself, that’s probably my third chance at life now. I’m able, luckily enough, to still be here to see my girls grow up. And their dad’s still here, Danielle’s still got her husband, my mum and dad have still got their son.
“I can’t thank the donors enough for that, and anybody that is on the fence, I think hearing stories like mine, and a lot of people’s stories, would definitely help to convince them.”
Danielle described donating an organ as an “incredible gift”. She said: “I hope our story shows how much organ donation can change people’s lives. During the darkest time, knowing there were organ donors out there gave us hope that things might be OK. We think about Martin’s donors all the time and are forever grateful for their incredible gift.”
Organ and Tissue Donation Week runs from September 23-29, and aims to remind people to make their choices about organ donation known, and not to leave their loved ones in doubt. To find out more about organ donation and to register your decision, visit the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.