My name is Matt Hastings, I was born on August 15th 1980 and I live in Gt Yarmouth (England UK). I had a liver transplant on the 6th July 1999.

It all started in the first few months of 1995, and I was 14 when I was diagnosed with AutoImmune Hepatitis, (which is the white blood cells attacking the liver). The doctors at Kings College Hospital put me on a high dose of steroids to control the disease. As an effect of this I gained weight, got severe acne, my hands started shaking, I got headaches and blurred vision. So then they had to decrease the dose. After that my condition was stable.

A year later, about Easter time, I got a kidney stone. I was in so much pain I thought I was going to die! I was in Kings for about a month. I went to St. Thomas's Hospital to have a lithotripsy to shatter the stone. When I was allowed to go home, I was told to drink a lot of water to flush the kidneys. Two weeks later I gained 10 kilos of fluid. Anyway the doc's sorted all that out.

I then started to get very depressed because I thought I was never going to get better, and the doctors were treating my illness, not me as a patient. I got so depressed I just didn't want to live, I just wanted it all to end! And at one stage I attempted an overdose, but was unsuccessful, thank god! I got over the depression after a few months with the help of the staff at Kings. All this was going on at the time I was meant to do my GCSE's. So I had to go back to school to do them again. I did my exams, but was only able to do three GCSE's, as I was too ill to do more.

I went to college to do electrical Installation. Then near the end of the course, I had another Kidney stone, and I was unable to finish the course. I decided to go back to college to do a GNVQ Business course. In December 1998 I was transferred to the adult clinic. The doctor said that my illness was not getting any better, but it could get worse, and he said if I wanted to go ahead with a transplant, I could. The next time I went to clinic I just said, "I just want it over and done with." So then I was put on the transplant list about Easter time.

I knew a bit about transplantation as I had read about it, but I was very scared and anxious, but I knew it was for the best. The first few nights I couldn't sleep, it was horrible, I just kept on thinking about it. When the call came it was about four in the morning on 6th July 1999. One hour later the car ambulance came and within under two hours we were in London at the hospital. For some reason I was as calm as a cucumber, and was even joke'n with the doc's. I was in theatre for 8 hours and in intensive care for only 24hours.

I spent only two weeks in hospital, and I recovered well. I was told that my liver was very cirrhosed, and was lucky I had the transplant then.

I went back to college in September to start a GNVQ Advanced Business course. Things went great until April 2000. I was getting tired and my urine was very dark (signs of liver disease). I went back to Kings, the doctors took blood's and I had an ultra-sound. When the results came back the doctor said that my illness had come back. I thought that it might come back, but I didn't think it would come back this quickly. Anyway the doctor's put me on the treatment to control the disease, and now it's under control and stable.

When I started the secound year of the GNVQ course, about four weeks after being back I went to Kings for a clinic visit. The doctor called me the next day and said that the illness is flaring up (the disease is attacking the liver) and I needed to increase the Prednisolone and the Tacrolimus, and that I had to go back the next week on the Thursday. To make it more hectic I was off to the USA the next morning at 5:00am to see my sister Emma!

To continue my journey with AIH please read my on-line diary, Click Here

To view pictures of my second liver transplant Click Here