When Stephanie Caira suffered a major health scare four years ago, it prompted a complete rethink of her lifestyle. Now she’s busy training for the Supernova Kelpies 5K on March 14 in a bid to raise funds and awareness for the British Liver Trust.
“Back in 2022, I became really unwell,” says Stephanie, 38, who lives in Beith. “A virus caused my immune system to attack my liver. Doctors told me that my liver markers in my blood should be about 50 and mine were up over 3000! I was diagnosed with acute viral hepatitis and was being considered for a liver transplant.
“Thankfully, this was not necessary because the treatment I received at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock worked, but this health scare really highlighted to me how important our livers are and how I wasn’t looking after myself.
“When I got out of hospital, I was straight onto the British Liver Trust website and did lots of research. Reading people’s stories and seeing how they used a health scare to turn their lives around was really inspirational to me.
“I decided to make some changes. I’ve cut down on processed food, have lost over two stone to get myself down to a healthy weight and am now a very active person, and I don’t drink alcohol at all. I have sadly been left with a few complications, but nothing that I will complain about because for the most part, I live an extremely normal and healthy life!
“I’m actually now grateful that it happened because I am now the healthiest version of myself. I’m a district manager for Slimming World and I try very hard to highlight as often as I can, that following a healthy diet of whole foods, unprocessed and being active, is the best way a human can look after their liver and in fact their whole body.
“When I had my liver scanned two years ago, I was told it was a very healthy liver, which was music to my ears.
“I’ll do anything I can to support the British Liver Trust. Lots of people don’t really think about their liver health, and I used to be one of them. I didn’t realise how important it was, until mine wasn’t working!
“So I’m excited about doing the Supernova Kelpies, it looks like a beautiful event, and I’m also training for a 10K in September. Both events will help raise funds and awareness for the British Liver Trust which is something I’m passionate about.”
Dan Painter Public Fundraising Manager at British Liver Trust commented: “As a charity, we are leading the fight against liver disease and liver cancer. We reach over two million people each year; providing information and support to patients and families and providing vital advice to help people improve their liver health. But there is still so much to be done. Liver disease is the only major disease in the UK where death rates are rising, and we want to change that. We’re so grateful to Stephanie for taking on these runs for us and hope that the Supernova Kelpies proves a memorable experience!”
You can support Stephanie’s Supernova Kelpies run here Stephanie Caira is fundraising for British Liver Trust
