A Davyhulme woman is campaigning for greater awareness of liver disease a year after her mother passed away with the disease.
Suzanne Hadcock’s mum Christine Faulkner died in January last year aged 72 of cirrhosis of the liver after a short illness.
Now Suzanne, a human resources manager, wants to tell others how to guard against the condition and live a healthier lifestyle.
She is getting involved in Trafford Council and the NHS’s Love Your Liver campaign, which is taking place across the borough during January and February.
Suzanne will staff an information stall in Eden Square, Urmston’s shopping precinct, from 1pm on Friday 13 February alongside Cllr Joanne Harding, Urmston ward councillor, and the Council’s Executive Member for Finance, Change and Governance.
Christine was a cashier at Tesco for over thirty years before retiring. She was diagnosed with fatty liver disease in 2019 given information about how she could change her eating habits, and about awareness around alcohol.
Suzanne, who has two children and four grandchildren, said:
“Mum lived on her own, in her own apartment. She didn’t cook very much for herself. Mum liked ultra-processed ready meals and she enjoyed a drink when she had one, though she didn’t drink every day and she wasn’t alcohol dependent.”
Suzanne continued:
“In summer 2024 she had what we thought was a chest infection. She had chest x-rays but there was nothing there, but she didn’t get better, she kept deteriorating. I took her to Trafford General Hospital where an A&E doctor arranged an emergency ultrasound scan, as she had a swelling around her midriff.
“A scan revealed a problem with mum’s liver. She was then diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. We took her out of hospital in December but she continued to deteriorate and she passed away in January when there was nothing else they could do for her.”
Suzanne, who climbed Snowdon last year with friends to raise money for the British Liver Trust, does not want other families to have go through what theirs did. She explained:
“Losing someone in 11 weeks was really awful for me and all of my family. Just trying to help people make easy, nutritious meals, and not rely on ready meals, and to raise awareness of what alcohol can do to the body, could make all the difference.
“People talk about hearts and cancer and other diseases but the liver is the powerhouse of the body and you just don’t hear as much about it.”
Liver disease usually has no symptoms in the early stages and around three quarters of people are currently diagnosed with advanced liver disease when it is too late for effective treatment or intervention. However, 90% of liver disease is preventable.
Cllr Jane Slater, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy and Independent Lives said:
“With our partners at the NHS, and community volunteers, we’re going all out to spread the message about liver disease this January and February.
“If people are aware of the risks they can consider making changes to their lifestyle to avoid such problems which can be fatal.
“We thank Suzanne for sharing her mum Christine’s story in the hope that it will catch people’s attention. The campaign fits in with the Council’s priority for facilitating healthy and independent lives for all our residents.”