Brave Lizzie loses fight for life after six transplants

ONE of the world’s bravest women last night lost her 11-year battle for life.

Miracle woman Lizzie O'Farrell stunned medics in March when she rallied after a record-breaking sixth liver transplant. But after just two weeks at home in May, she contacted a virus. On Friday night she had a heart attack, which left her on life-support at King's College Hospital in London.

Her husband Keith Finnegan, mother Margaret, sister Marie, brothers Philly, Seamus, PJ and Darren all said their goodbyes yesterday afternoon before the respirator was switched off. She passed away peacefully just after 6pm.

Their only solace is that the gutsy 26-year-old with the deep blue eyes enjoyed life to the end never giving up, never complaining and always boasting about her loving husband and childhood sweetheart, Keith, her doting family and close friends.

The smiling Kilkenny woman stunned the world in March when she survived an unprecedented sixth liver transplant. Her first transplant was at 15 and she's struggled with ill health ever since.

Lizzie, from the Old Callan Road, Kilkenny, never really recovered from the rigours of a sixth transplant in London on March 26. She did rally for a while but her recovery was short-lived. Two weeks after her sixth transplant, she underwent chemotherapy and 10 days later had a bone-marrow transplant. Her younger brother Philly was the donor.

The former national Person of the Year award winner was sedated but not unconscious over the past few days. Each time doctors tried to revive her she went into spasm and her medication had to be increased.

Serious damage had been caused to her heart, lungs and liver by the virus and she went into cardiac arrest for 20 minutes on Friday night.

Her family had been clinging to the slim hope that she might make a recovery. Her brother Philly even went through another four-hour medical procedure on Monday to donate more bone marrow.

Now the close knit family is planning her funeral.