Organ Donation Week: Erin's Story

This Organ Donation Week, we are proud to share Erin’s story. Hear from her Mum, Kirstin, about Erin’s hospital journey, the outstanding support and care from the Wee Scottish Livers Team, and how Erin is now a thriving teenager, competing in badminton at a national and international level for her Transplant Games Team!

Erin’s Hospital Journey

Erin appeared to be a healthy baby until she was 5 weeks old, before becoming very jaundiced. She was transferred from her local hospital in Wishaw to Yorkhill for tests.

Erin and Mum, Kirstin, spent a week in Yorkhill while she had multiple procedures, which pointed to a rare liver condition called Biliary Atresia, that could only be treated surgically at a specialist paediatric liver unit. There are only 3 in the UK and none in Scotland, so the family were sent to Leeds children’s hospital for further tests. They confirmed a diagnosis of Biliary Atresia which led to a 7-hour surgery.

Kirstin shares:

“We knew then that hospitals were going to be a big feature in our lives. Erin recovered from surgery, and we returned home a few weeks later with regular check-ups at Yorkhill.”  

Unfortunately, Erin began showing signs of the surgery failing and developed liver failure. Erin was in and out of Yorkhill as an inpatient to try and stabilise her condition until she was 6 months old, when it was decided she needed a liver transplant.

“She was only tiny and had spent 80% of her life in hospital and very unwell. When Erin received her gift after 8 days on the list, we were so grateful.”

Since transplant, Erin has thrived under the watchful care of her teams in both Leeds and Glasgow. She is now nearly 15 years post-transplant and doing incredibly well!

“The Liver team at Glasgow are like our family. We have such regular contact with them, and they have all been a huge part of her life.”

How Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity & Wee Scottish Livers Helped

Wee Scottish Livers didn’t exist when Erin was wee. Her Mum shares that there was a huge need to connect Scottish families, as many travelled for tertiary care at different liver centres across the UK.

Now, children have the opportunity to meet up and have fun, whilst their parents build support networks and hear of success stories. Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is delighted to support the wonderful Wee Scottish Livers Team.

“Erin has gone from the young child dancing at the party, to the young adult giving talks about her journey to other families.”

She is now looking towards the transition to adult services and has attended two special sessions at Top Golf ran by Wee Scottish Livers to help prepare her for this as well as connect her to other teens.

Erin also benefitted from the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity’s Teddy Hospital when she was much younger, and the Play Team (both as an inpatient and outpatient) have been vitally important to her care.

The Importance of Organ Donation

Kirstin shares:

“It is so important to speak with your loved ones about your wishes, so they know what you would have wanted if they are ever faced with making the decision for you.

You or your loved ones are so much more likely to be in the same position as we were – having a loved one needing a gift – than you are to be a donor. We have been there, and it is a helpless situation.”

The family have met so many people on their journey who live very full and happy lives post-transplant. Erin has gone on to compete in Badminton for Team GB at the World Transplant Games in Perth, Australia (2023) and Dresden, Germany (2025) and won gold and silver medals at each!

Since 2019, Erin’s Dad, Jamie, has held annual golf days and charity raffles that have raised £9,794 to date for our Wee Scottish Livers fund.

Over the 15 years that Erin has been treated at the children’s hospital in Glasgow, the family have raised over £87,000 for Leeds Children’s Hospital Transplant Games team, the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation and Wee Scottish Livers combined.