"It changed my life" Marking the anniversary of a marathon transplant at Addenbrookes

Surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge are highlighting the importance of organ donors as they celebrate a milestone in one of the most complex of transplant operations.

It's been a year since 64 year old Stephen Cooper became the 100th patient to have a multi-visceral transplant, giving him a new liver, small bowel, pancreas and kidney.

The painting captures the face of an ICU doctor from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Addenbrooke's is the only hospital in the UK to perform the operation which Stephen, from Bishop's Stortford, says has changed his life.

Stephen was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1977 which, over the years led to complications with his bowel, liver and kidney - and at his lowest point saw his weight drop to between seven and eight stones.

He had multiple operations, was on an intravenous liquid diet for 20 years, and was finally admitted to hospital with kidney failure in 2018, after which it was decided to prepare him for the transplant waiting list.

After two false alarms, Stephen and wife Andrea received a call at 2am on one August night, last year. By 9am the next day Stephen was in theatre.

Stephen has nothing but praise for the surgeons that treated him

The marathon 18 hour operation was undertaken in shifts by lead surgeon for Cambridge Intestinal and Multi-visceral Transplant Team, Mr Andrew Butler, and fellow world expert transplant surgeons, Mr Neil Russell, Mr Paul Gibbs, Mr Raaj Praseedom and Miss Irum Amin.

Although Stephen did not know it at the time, he was the 100 h patient to receive anintestine-containing transplant since the team was established in 2007. It was a proud moment for the team, which is trying hard to make other medical centres aware of their work, since the earlier a patient can be considered and assessed for a multi-visceral transplant, the more successful the outcome is.

Stephen's story comes as NHS Blood and Transplant prepare to launch Organ Donation Week between 7 to 13 September.

The week focuses on raising awareness of organ donation, and this year, will be the first since Max and Keira's Law came into effect in England in May. The new law means that from now on people in England will be considered as wanting to donate, unless they opt out, are one of the excluded groups or tell their family that they don't want to donate.