West Lothian father of two who has had four liver transplants ‘forever grateful’ to donors

A father of two who had four liver transplants before the age of 30 has said he “can’t thank the donors enough” for giving him the chance to see his children grow up.

Martin Dillett, who lives in Broxburn near Edinburgh with his wife and two young daughters, had his first liver transplant when he was just three years old after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease.

The transplant was a success, and the 29-year-old welder was able to enjoy a normal childhood and adolescence with his twin brother Stuart.

However in September 2022 Mr Dillett began experiencing health issues, and a few months later he learned that the liver that had kept him alive for the past 25 years was beginning to fail.

“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,” he said.

“All the toxins that your liver is meant to clear out of your body, it wasn’t doing that.”

He explained this led to him experiencing episodes of hepatic encephalopathy (a decline in brain function caused by toxins in the blood), jaundice, constant itchiness, weight loss and a failing pancreas.

After periods in and out of hospital, in August 2023 Mr Dillett’s liver went into full failure and he was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), where he was moved to intensive care while doctors waited for a liver to become available.

Mr Dillett’s wife Danielle, who was expecting her second child at the time, recalled that at this stage: “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.”

Danielle Dillett said she was ‘told to expect the worst’ when her husband was without a liver following two unsuccessful transplants.

After 11 days in hospital a liver was found, but even though the operation to transplant it was successful the organ itself was not functioning, so Mr Dillett was put back on the transplant waiting list.

The following day another liver was found and, 48 hours after his previous transplant, he was again taken into the operating theatre.

However, this new liver also failed to function, and Mrs Dillett said she got a phone call from the hospital telling her to “get to the hospital immediately as the new liver still wasn’t working and 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.”

The liver was completely removed, making Mr Dillett only the third patient in the unit’s 30-year history to be without a liver while awaiting a transplant.

Mrs Dillett recalled: “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.”

Mr Dillett spent a total of 36 hours without a liver before a suitable one was found, and successfully transplanted into his body.

The 29-year-old said he was “lucky” to have survived, and that he was “hugely thankful” to the staff at the RIE for not giving up on him.

“I was just lucky that the consultants and the surgeons and everybody kept going and kept fighting to keep me alive,” he said.

“And luckily enough, my body withstood all the medication and the stress it was under to be well enough to be transplanted.”

Mr Dillett added that he hoped his story will inspire more people to become organ donors.

“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.”

Mrs Dillett described donating an organ as an “incredible gift”.

“I hope our story shows how much organ donation can change people’s lives,” she said.

“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 at www.organdonation.scot.