Post by Deleted on May 5, 2014 23:36:10 GMT -1
I was so sorry to read about this earlier today, on more than one level, to be honest.
Elena came to Scotland from Ukraine with her parents and grew up here. Like Andy Murray, a huge inspiration to young people to watch and take up the mighty game of tennis.
She was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Colangitis at only 19 but, with medication, battled through to reach significant heights in the sport she loved. This auto-immune disease is very closely linked to the one that I was diagnosed with not long after Ms R was born.
Both are still a mystery: they're incurable and usually progressive, sadly. It's not known whether there are *triggers* such as infection or toxins in everyday life but there's growing evidence of a genetic link.
Often, the only life-saving treatment is a liver transplant, if things start to go really downhill.
Yet again, I'm reminded how very very lucky I have been, having received a donor liver 14 years ago.
There's not a day goes by I don't give silent thanks, because not everyone suffering from these diseases is so fortunate.
You never ever know what's round the corner. Until I got very ill, I'd not considered joining the organ donor register and letting my family and friends know my wishes.
A very sad loss today. The girl was only 30 and recently married.
Elena came to Scotland from Ukraine with her parents and grew up here. Like Andy Murray, a huge inspiration to young people to watch and take up the mighty game of tennis.
She was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Colangitis at only 19 but, with medication, battled through to reach significant heights in the sport she loved. This auto-immune disease is very closely linked to the one that I was diagnosed with not long after Ms R was born.
Both are still a mystery: they're incurable and usually progressive, sadly. It's not known whether there are *triggers* such as infection or toxins in everyday life but there's growing evidence of a genetic link.
Often, the only life-saving treatment is a liver transplant, if things start to go really downhill.
Yet again, I'm reminded how very very lucky I have been, having received a donor liver 14 years ago.
There's not a day goes by I don't give silent thanks, because not everyone suffering from these diseases is so fortunate.
You never ever know what's round the corner. Until I got very ill, I'd not considered joining the organ donor register and letting my family and friends know my wishes.
A very sad loss today. The girl was only 30 and recently married.