Latest news with #Leeann
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Wicklow mum saved by transplant says new organ donation law ‘doesn't force it on people'
Leeann Clarkson, from Kilcoole, also spoke about how she would feel having a conversation about organ donation with her daughter, who is now 11, and why her son has already got an organ donor card. Leeann was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome when she was 19, which doctors believe was caused by a throat infection, despite having had her tonsils removed when she was 13. At the time, she was going through a high-risk pregnancy with her first child, having developed pre-eclampsia. Her son, Nathan, was delivered at 30 weeks by emergency C-section, weighing just 2lbs 13oz. After giving birth to her son, Leeann became very sick and had to be put on dialysis. Rather than facing daily trips to the hospital, the single mum chose to do peritoneal dialysis at home. The dialysis was a nightly occurrence, an eight-hour ordeal that left her exhausted and ill. The good news arrived later that year, when a phone call came in (at 1.25am – the time has been stamped on her memory) that a kidney donor had been found. She counted herself lucky. She was only six weeks on dialysis, and she was told at the start she could be waiting two to four years. The transformation was 'a new lease of life', and she only realised how sick she was after she had been given the gift of a new kidney. She soon met a new partner and in 2013 gave birth to her daughter, Abbie. She describes the moment she was told a donor had been found as 'bittersweet' – as she knows that 'someone had lost their life in order for me to receive this kidney'. So when asked whether she supports the new law, she admits that while she does, 'it's because I have a donor kidney'. According to the Irish Kidney Association, there are over 600 people currently on transplant waiting lists for organs, including the heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas, and over 500 of these are waiting for a kidney transplant. Last year, 263 organ transplants were carried out thanks to the generosity of 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors. This included 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants, and four pancreas transplants. The association believes the need for a national conversation about organ donation has never been more urgent. Leeann understand the concerns people have and it's not a topic that families, people with young children and people in loving relationships, want to readily discuss. 'Some people want to donate and then their families don't want to, so I think that's what they're trying to aim at. It's not a discussion everyone wants to take up with their family either. I have an 11-year-old daughter. It's not a discussion I'd like to be having. You just don't want it to ever happen. But then there are kids that need donors as well, so you kind of have to look at it in that way. Smaller babies need smaller organs.' Her son, Nathan, who is now 25, has a donor card, but her daughter 'is not something I'd like to think of'. 'But I probably would donate her organs. I'd be selective, I suppose . . . the eyes, I don't know. I've never broached it with Abby. Nathan was 18. But he grew up with me, he was nine when I had the transplant. So he's seen the actual impact of me having a transplant, the benefit of it, so he'd be all for it.' Leeann would urge every adult to look carefully at the new law change as there has been some confusion over exactly what it means. 'It's not being forced on people. It's just like if you leave it on the long finger and you didn't get it done then there's kind of that confusion.' She believes there needs to be a much better awareness campaign, as people have genuine fears and concerns that have not been adequately addressed. Colin White, the national advocacy and projects manager for the Irish Kidney Association, said the changes that will come into force on June 17, are 'very nuanced' and the legislation ensures that family members will always be consulted before any action is taken. "If you go into the terminology, it's what's called a soft opt-out with family consent,' he said. But he agrees that 'in the absence of clarity, chaos reigns'. 'The messaging we're trying to put around it is, it's a step forward, there's a lot more in the legislation than just the consent element. It's the first piece of domestic legislation on organ donation and transplantation in the history of the state. Prior to this, practices were essentially being rooted in the 1832 Human Anatomy Act, so it is a positive step forward, but it's a little misleading, unfortunately, how some of the messaging has been put out about it, and that the headlines are going with, unless you opt out, consent will be presumed.' Mr White concedes it is a 'highly emotive subject' and that some of the fears being stoked continue the narrative 'the government are out to get you, so now they're coming out after your organs'. 'Organ donation and transplantation relies on public trust,' he said. 'The reality of what's going to happen on the ground is the family role remains central. What's actually going to happen at the coal face is if somebody has not opted out, the next step is to approach the family – and it is literally in black and white in the legislation. "And I'm disappointed in the Department of Health, we've been pointing it out since they were drafting the legislation, the importance of getting that messaging right, like they have it in the legislation, for me there's two paragraphs to pull out, that's explaining deemed consent, and then explaining that the medical practitioners cannot go ahead with retrieval if the family object, and they have to ask the family. "Any healthcare practitioner must assure themselves very clearly that the designated family member has no objection to organ donation going ahead, and in the absence of that assurance, they cannot proceed,' he explained. The advice is to 'empower your family to ensure that your wishes are respected,' Mr White added. "So have that family conversation, so that in the event that if you have chosen not to opt out, and your family is approached, because they know your wishes, they're much more likely to give consent.' Regarding the issue of young children, he recounts a school project he was involved in, where the students wanted to do a young social innovators project on promoting organ donation and promoting the conversation around it. "The girls' view of it was, our parents are never going to talk to us about this, because the thoughts of talking about the death of your children, with your children, is just too much to consider, so their view was, well, if we can get it into education, then we're bringing the conversation home. 'Today in school we learnt about organ donation and how we can transform the lives of others.' "We've focused on putting the lived experience out there, the individual stories, so trying to get behind the statistics, behind the jargon, and say, look, it's about Mary, it's about John. It's somebody who could be your family member, it could be your neighbour, it could be your work colleague. It's very real, and the gift of life is very transformative.'
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Truro café serving healthy coffees and smoothies opens
A new café serving healthy coffees and smoothies has opened in Truro. Luxe, run by Leeann Griffith, specialises in natural skin and body treatments and has now expanded with a ground-floor bar. The café puts an "adaptogenic and nootropic twist" on hot and cold drinks. Adaptogens, found in plants and fungi, are said to help the body manage stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Common examples include ginseng, turmeric, and ashwagandha. Nootropics such as ginkgo biloba and fish oils, often referred to as cognitive enhancers, are believed to improve thinking, learning, and memory. Leeann has been working from the first floor of the building in New Bridge Street since March last year, offering natural and medical-grade skin treatments, as well as food intolerance and hormone testing, especially for fertility and menopause. Her interest in natural skincare began while working as a dental nurse. She said: "My boss sent me for training in Botox and fillers, but by the time I'd qualified, he'd changed his mind about offering them. "I didn't particularly like Botox, but had started to research natural treatments, did more courses and found a new job with a surgery that wanted to offer aesthetics." Having decided to go solo after the pandemic, Ms Griffith settled into her new premises and created a menu of hot and cold drinks aimed at boosting physical and mental wellbeing. These are available to all customers, not just those receiving treatments. Shakes include the high-protein Choc-o-Luxe, containing banana, avocado, nut butter, collagen, and raw cacao nibs. There is also the Matcha Power with blueberries and Clean Green with kale and mango. A range of adaptogenic black coffees and superfood lattes contains ingredients such as collagen, lion's mane fungi, beetroot, and peppermint. Leeann borrowed £4,000 through a Start-Up Loan for cashflow and to cover the cost of an employee to staff the bar. She said: "I'm a single mum-of-two, so I needed a bit of extra help. "Bank interest rates were really high. "SWIG was a good experience. "Jo was lovely and it was nice to have a more personal approach, rather than an algorithm."
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Highland shinty player Lachlan Campbell tells of MND's impact on family life
A former shinty captain says he is wracked with worries for his family's financial future after being diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).Dad-of-four Lachlan Campbell, of Spean Bridge in the Highlands, spent years building up his joinery business but has had to give up work due to the terminal neurological stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles and the 47-year-old was unable to cope with the physical demands of his disease has badly affected his speech, and Lachlan says he has struggled to be understood when seeking financial support. Lachlan was diagnosed with MND three years ago."My voice totally went. I was dropping things and being clumsy - I thought I was losing my mind," he says, recalling the early warning signs he had the disease."When I was diagnosed it was the news I was dreading – for me it was the worst case scenario." Lachlan is well known in shinty circles as a captain of Lochaber and for playing in the game's premier competed in various cup competitions, including the Camanachd Cup and appeared in two MacTavish Cup later went on to coach Lochaber's junior sides and represented Scotland in games against was also a keen golfer. Outside sport, he worked hard to build up his joinery has left him unable to cope with the physical side of his says: "I fall quite regularly so it's a matter of time until I really hurt myself. "I had to make a decision to do what's best for the family because if I injure myself the recovery will not be easy."MND causes muscle weakness and wasting. It can rob someone of the ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe. Lachlan says his biggest fear is the financial impact on his his wife Leeann he has three daughters, Molly, 24, Regan, 23, Lacey, 18 and a son Max, 21. All but one of their children live at home. There are grants available, but Lachlan says the funding is says he has tried to apply for statutory benefits but has found the process a huge challenge - made even harder because he has difficulty talking."I had a real issue trying to apply for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when I was first diagnosed and my mental state wasn't good, and then trying to have a long conversation with someone who couldn't understand what I was saying – I just gave up in the end," he believes he has lost two years' of financial says: "If you have a disease like this then PIP should be offered to you – you shouldn't have to claim it because it's not easy."Once you stop earning, all the bills are still there, even if you have an incurable disease, the bills keep coming."The UK's Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) said it could not comment without certain personal information being Security Scotland, a Scottish government agency that helps to deliver social security payments, has been approached for comment. Leeann works part-time as she balances caring for her husband. She says: "Knowing that he's going to get worse is a horrible thought – it keeps me awake at night."It worries me how I'm even going to cope looking after him when he gets to a certain stage."Every day I think if he can get up and go out and do whatever he does then I can't just sit about and be sad and angry – I still have to keep going too."Leeann is also daunted by their financial situation and worries about when she will have to give up work and care for Lachlan says: "Do you potentially have the threat of losing our home as well, on top of your husband not being well and there's nothing you can do about it?"Lachlan has thrown himself into raising awareness about MND and fundraising. He has raised more than £10,000 so far for families affected by the disease. The average life expectancy of someone with MND is just 18 months from diagnosis. There is currently no cure or meaningful says although his diagnosis has robbed him of so much, including playing his beloved shinty, he is determined to remain positive and spend as much time with his family and secure their financial says: "Really the only thing that's important is to try and enjoy the life I've got left and make sure my family are enjoying it with me."Leeann adds: "I thought we had a long time together where we would grow old together, see the kids have kids, get married - all that kind of stuff. "But knowing that probably isn't going to happen, it makes you really appreciate the time you've got with each other." Inspirational dad Regan says her dad's attitude is says: "We can't sit being all doom and gloom when he's the one that's actually unwell and he's the one being positive so we've just got to try and do that as well."Her sister Molly adds: "It's such a horrible, horrible disease."You're literally just watching someone lose themselves right in front of your eyes and there's literally nothing you can do."MND Scotland said the disease put huge strains on charity's Angela Harris said: "We are here to support people so they are not on their own with it at all."We would strongly advise anyone whose got a diagnosis or is affected in this way to come to MND Scotland and talk to the support team."Dr Madina Kara, director of research at the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said work was continuing to find a cure.
