Another roaring success for Hillsborough!!. This event was hosted by Jim, Jane, Patricia and Sharon from committee .We had over 44 people attend the event in the grounds of Hillsborough Castle as you can see in the attached cards. And of course Jane and Michael with their newborn, Alexander

This is becoming one of the most looked forward to and attended events of the entire coffee event calendar!!

It is also especially poignant because it is always held during Organ Donation Week which holds a very special place in the hearts of many of our Charity members.

The next coffee event will be held in the Bushtown hotel in Coleraine on October 11th. Look forward to seeing you there and remember everyone is welcome and bring friends too.

Members of the RVH Liver Support Group, along with committee members, attended the bicycle run on Thursday of Organ Donation Week at Belfast Grand Central Station.

Staff members of the RVH Regional Liver Unit pictured with Arthur Goan (RVHLSG Patient Care Team) marking Organ Donation Week in the hospital.

On September 15 to 18 the British Liver Trust visited Northern Ireland with their trailer offering free FibroScans to members of the public to check their liver health. We will publish the stats on numbers when we have this information to hand but we can say that many people did avail of the opportunity. The event was in Enniskillen om Monday, Stormont on Tuesday, Belfast City Hall on Wednesday with the final day being at the Diamond Coleraine.

This is a very  important and beneficial event held yearly by the Trust and we encourage uptake always. We are seeing more and more patients now with fatty liver disease caused by bad diet and lack of exercise. This condition, if undiagnosed, can lead to severe liver damage and cirrhosis, just like the many other liver conditions. In virtually all cases there will be no prior symptoms until its too late .

We would take this opportunity to nudge the general public to consider their eating habits and exercise regime and to consider making lifestyle changes if necessary. We have more information available from our home page on fatty liver (MASLD).

Equally, if you consider yourself as someone who may be consuming excess amounts of alcohol it is time now to take a closer look at the units you consume. Please have a look HERE for further details. We are finding that most patients presenting with cirrhosis or end stage liver disease are not those who are alcohol dependent; rather, it is those who are social drinkers who consume moderate amounts over a long period of time.

RVH Liver Support Group hosted another two successful coffee events in both Omagh and Enniskillen on August 9. Ashley and Arthur from the Group hosted the events which were well attended.

This was a specially poignant event in that we had a patient who was recently transplanted in Kings and another who was over for a recent assessment and just received word hours before that they were accepted to be put on the transplant list. Sentences of hope, accreditation, reassurance and thankfulness were in abundance at all times.

And this is one of the many benefits of holding such events; they are a fantastic way for patients to get together to support one another and make new friends.

We encourage everyone to look out for these coffee events happening throughout the year and to remember to bring along a loved one or friend. Its not just for patients themselves.

Well done to Maurarose Gruhn, who proudly took part in the Women’s Belfast City 10K at Titanic Quarter to mark her father-in-law Chris Gruhn’s 10th Liverversary and raise vital funds for the Group. She was joined by Committee member Sharon Millen, who is currently in training for the World Transplant Games in Dresden this August.

Pictured is Arthur Goan, RVHLSG Patient Care, along with Ward 6D Sister Carol and Pharmacist Alvin accepting two new recliner chairs for the patients and families using 6D. Also in the picture, testing them, out are ward nurses Lisa and Reshma. They did comment that they could have a sleep on them 😊.

The two recliners (with a third currently on order) are designed and made by a furniture manufacturer in the UK who are an NHS approved supplier which is very important. The chairs are finished in a warm uplifting terracotta colour and are upholstered using a special wipe clean material.

The RVH Liver Support Group hopes that they will be a great comfort to patients and family members using them.