Time running out for Charlie

Tullamore mother Helen Lynch is appealing to the public to come forward to give her eight-year-old son Charlie a chance at life.

Charlie who was diagnosed with a defective liver when he was born was placed on the waiting list for a liver transplant when he was just four months old, but following a small operation which kept him going until now, he was taken off it until his condition seriously deteriorated again in 2014.

Now he is running out of time and his team of doctors in King’s Hospital, London have said that the best chance at saving Charlie's life is to appeal to the public in both Ireland and the UK to come forward to be tested to see if they are a stuitable candidate for a partial liver transplant.

'Unfortunately it might come to the stage where Charlie hasn't enough time left to see if there is a suitable candidate.

'The assessment takes three months and the doctors don't know if he will last that long,' Helen told the Offaly Independent this week.

Last November, Helen was informed that her wish to donate part of her liver to Charlie was a non-runner. She was given the heartbreaking news that her own liver was too small and would halve the chances of the transplant being successful. The risks were simply too high.

Since then, Helen moved her son Charlie and his big brother Daniel (9) to the UK in order to be close to King’s Hospital in London on the chance that a suitable donor is found.

She made the decision after learning that there are sometimes problems with transferring transplant patients when a suitable donar is found.

Now, as Charlie's health worsens, she will have to make the difficult decision to send Daniel home to Ireland to live with family so she can focus all of her time on Charlie.

Charlie's transplant team are looking for healthy and fit people between the ages of 18 and 40.

They are looking for people belonging to the blood group O with no longterm illnesses such as diabetes or blood pressure.

They have also asked that any prospective donors be aware of the risks that include a recovery time of two to three weeks, time off work, follow-up check-ups, and in some cases the chance of death - which is small.

'This is our last chance,' says Helen. 'It is a case of life or death now.'

If you would like to tested to see if you are a suitable donor, you can contact Helen directly on helenlynch2552@gmail.com or message her on Facebook.

There is also a Go Fund Me page for Charlie and you can contact Helen through this