Family of liver patient raises tens of thousands

The family of a liver transplant patient has raised tens of thousands of pounds for a hospital life support machine in her memory.

Ann Fox died in November 2014, just days after a fundraising ball at the Empress Hotel in Douglas she and her husband Tony helped organise in aid of the Queen Elizabath Hospital Birmingham’s Liver Foundation.

With the unstinting support of the late Brian Keenan at the Empress, a second ball was held on the first anniversary of Ann’s death and a third in October this year.

A St Patrick’s Night event was organised earlier this year and there was a tombola to ‘Step away with a Stepway’, with the winner taking home a brand new Dacia Stepway fully road taxed.

This week, the lucky winner, Carmella Mckay, was invited to the Empress to collect her prize.

Ann’s daughter Andrea said: "In April of 2014 my mum was the very fortunate recipient of a new liver. She had spent 30 years anticipating the possibility that one day this may be her only option after being diagnosed with an Auto Immune disease that attacked and destroyed her own liver.

"Less than 14 days after her transplant mum came home. She wanted to give something back to the system that had helped her by ensuring that others would have the same opportunity she had had."

Her aim was to support the purchase of a normothermic perfusion machine that essentially act as a life support machine for liver, kidney, pancreas and lungs.

Andrea said: "Mum set about organising an Autumn Ball with plans to party until midnight and spectacularly raise the roof and a tonne of money in the process.

"Unfortunately she fell ill less than four weeks before the clock struck 12. She insisted that the show must go on, and so in her absence we had a Ball. She lay in an induced coma in the critical care unit in Birmingham whilst we recounted her journey with the supporters at our event. Mum died three days later."

Andrea added: "It would have been easy to be angry, and it would have been easy to forget our fundraising efforts, but mum raised £26,000 at her first event, a downpayment on the £100,000 needed to buy the machine.

"We had a tower of motivation and encouragement behind us in the shape of Brian Keenan from the Empress. It was an effort to continue in the absence of the two captains of our ship, mum and Brian. However we couldn’t see all our efforts in vain.

"To date we have given back £46,000 and hope that following the final calculations we will be able to add £20,000 to this total.

"We have so many people to thank - David Mason from the Empress and his staff, all our independent supporters who have given time and equipment, and all the people of the Isle of Man who have stopped to give money and talk about their own experiences at the QEHB.

"As an island community you have done us proud!"