Made in Chelsea’s Sam Vanderpump issues hope in devastating ‘end of stage’ liver disease diagnosis
The Channel 4 reality star opened up about his near-death experience last year
The reality star is on the list for a transplant(Image: Instagram)
Made in Chelsea’s Sam Vanderpump issued hope for his future after he shared that he has been diagnosed with “end of stage” liver disease.
The 28-year-old reality star opened up about his “near death” experience after suffering liver and kidney failure. This caused his stomach to swell and triggered life-threatening sepsis.
At the time, Sam shared: “I got an infection due to a genetic disease I’ve got, which led to sepsis and it ended up quite bad. I was in hospital and it was a close call; I could have died.”
He was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster hospital after his fiancée Alice Yaxley called an ambulance, with doctors adding that if he had waited 24 hours for treatment he could have died.
The star was born with both liver and kidney disease, but when contracting the flu last December alongside his asthma, his organs struggled to cope.
Now, Sam has admitted that his life expectancy could just be a few years if he isn’t able to get a transplant.
He’s documented his journey on social media(Image: Instagram)
Speaking with Ollie Locke in an episode of the Channel 4 show, Sam said: “We had a call from the doctors and I’ve got end stage liver disease.
“There is no hope of my liver getting better and he said I wouldn’t be having this call with you if I thought you could make it through the next four or five years.
“They’re sending me for liver transplant assessment, so yeah.”
He continued: “The way I look at it is I’m healthy now, hopefully I will remain healthy all the way up until I’ll get a call and go in for surgery and then I wake up and I’ll be healthier.”
NHS’ Organ Donation social media responded to the episode, and penned: “You may have seen in tonight’s episode of #madeinchelsea, that one of the cast members Sam Vanderpump needs an organ transplant.
“Our thoughts are with Sam and his family as they face this news. We hope that his courage in speaking out will offer inspiration to others.
“Sadly, thousands of people are currently waiting for a life-saving transplant because not enough people agree to donate their organs.”
They continued: “If you want to be an organ donor and save lives after your death, please confirm your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and ensure your loved ones know and support your decision.”
