A local mum of two is fighting for her life in hospital after a liver transplant that almost killed her.
Lois Kinder, 44, was rushed to hospital in mid-July after becoming critically ill with acute liver failure. Within days she was placed in an induced coma and transferred to the specialist liver intensive care unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, one of only a handful of centres in the country able to carry out emergency transplants.
On 22 July a donor liver became available, but during the operation she suffered three cardiac arrests after a blood clot blocked the main artery to her lungs, leaving her starved of oxygen for a prolonged period. Surgeons told her husband Ollie more than once that she was unlikely to survive the surgery.
Against the odds she pulled through. Six weeks on she is conscious and recognises her family, but the lack of oxygen caused significant brain damage to both sides of her brain. She cannot move, remains on a ventilator and dialysis, and is still in critical care.
“She’s conscious. She is recognising who we are,” Ollie said. “She’s saying the odd word, albeit very, very weak. She can’t move or anything like that at the moment. They’re hopeful of a form of recovery, but whether she will walk again remains unknown.”
Doctors have warned Ollie that Lois is likely to need months more in hospital and that nobody yet knows what level of independence she may regain.
The practical pressures on the family are growing. Ollie, also 44, is currently off work as a cabin manager with Tui - based at Manchester Airport - and is on basic pay only.
The family rent a house in Lymm and have been given notice that the landlords want to sell, meaning they must leave by March next year. Their current home is unlikely to be suitable if Lois needs a wheelchair or ongoing specialist care.
“We’ve got to find another property by March,” Ollie said. “On one wage, I’m limited as to what I can afford. We just need somewhere that’s going to be suitable for Lois.”
Friends have set up a GoFundMe aiming to raise £200,000 to help secure and adapt a home that can support her recovery. The family live in Lymm but have strong links with Altrincham. Their son Jacob, 15, plays for Altrincham under-16s and the whole family are season ticket holders at the club. Daughter Imogen turns 19 this week.
Doctors repeatedly asked whether Lois had been taking herbal supplements. She had been using ashwagandha, a legal product sold in high-street health shops and often promoted for calming and perimenopausal symptoms.
Specialists have linked it to cases of acute liver failure and told the family they believe it is the likely cause in her case, though this has not been formally confirmed. The sudden and rare nature of her illness means the Birmingham team plan to publish it as a medical case study.
Ollie said Lois had taken the supplement without any idea of the risk. “She’s just been very, very unlucky,” he said. “They’ve confirmed it’s nothing that Lois has done to herself.”
The family are asking people to share the appeal and donate if they can. Any amount, they say, will help them try to give Lois a safe and accessible place to continue her recovery when the time comes.
Ollie said: “If you are able to donate, no matter how big or small, you will be helping to give my wife the opportunity to rebuild her life and helping our family face the future together.”
