Friends of a transplant survivor whose liver disease was so severe she ‘forgot who her parents were’ are now fundraising for the ‘extortionate rent’ near the hospital.
Caryl Davies received her life-saving liver transplant this January after a year of memory loss due to neurotoxins not being filtered from her blood because of the advanced liver disease.
Unable to work, she woke up not knowing who or where she was and went from being sociable to becoming a recluse because she “no longer knew who people were”.
She has now been released from the Royal Free Hospital in London on the condition she stays close by to support her recovery.
Caryl’s best friend Katie Murray has now launched a fundraiser to help Caryl’s recovery stick and to get her back to living with her two-year-old daughter and partner.
Caryl, 40 from Llanarth, said: “I spent a year in complete confusion. I didn’t recognise my parents or my brother. I didn’t know who I was when I woke up.
“I couldn’t work because I’d forget what my jobs were, I couldn’t speak to people because I’d get nervous and anxious. The disease completely changed me.
“I never thought this would happen so didn’t have any income protection whilst self-employed, so had nothing to fall back on.
“I’m extremely grateful for everything in my life right now. I can't thank my donor’s family enough and I can’t believe how many people have kindly donated.”
Caryl’s liver disease was discovered by chance whilst on a gap year in Australia at 21.
She fainted outside her hostel and cracked her skull. She woke up days later with a shaved head and 57 staples in her skull.
The doctors told her it wouldn’t happen again as long as she took her liver medication, but she had no idea what they were talking about.
She was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis which had caused advanced liver disease.
She then became ill with an infection in 2022, causing her liver damage to increase, her kidneys to fail and her to develop diabetes due to steroids.
She was put on a donor wait list and waited almost a year for the call, missing even her brother's wedding so she was ready.
She had been prepping all year increasing her fitness and running so she wouldn’t be bed-bound after the transplant. Every day her mobility is getting stronger but she still can’t lift her infant daughter who is almost two.
Caryl is staying with her brother until she recovers fully and can move back home to north London and restart work.
The town regeneration planner said: “I’m really looking forward to getting back to work. I’ve worked since I was 13 selling ice creams in my village. “I’m staying away from my daughter as the risk of infection is high, but I can’t wait to see her and pick her up and play with her properly again.”
To donate to help Caryl get back to her daughter go to her GoFundMe page.