At the beginning of January 2016, Dave Peacock was a perfectly healthy man, but by the end of the month he became severely unwell and was on the way to needing a liver transplant.

It all started when Dave had the flu and then began to go off his food, he visited his GP who sent him for tests and then called him into hospital for further tests later that day, which became the start of his rapid decline.

Before falling ill, Dave was into sporting challenges and had completed three Iron Man challenges and was due to do another one when he turned 50 in 2016. The Iron Man challenge includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and ends with a marathon!

Now, three years after his transplant, Dave will be taking part in another Iron Man challenge! Talking about taking part in the challenge, Dave said: “I just want to raise some money and awareness of organ donation more than anything, so I thought this was a great way to raise money for QEHB Charity.

“It’s such a long event; you don’t know what’s going to happen on the day. The last one I did was in 2009 and I couldn’t do the one I planned in 2016 because I was so ill. I did a sprint triathlon 11 months after the transplant and an Olympic one last year but nothing like this.”

Dave, from Warrington, couldn’t walk 20 metres when he arrived at QEHB, but he pushed himself more and more each day to make himself fitter ready for his transplant. Talking about his care at QEHB, Dave said: “It was excellent. I couldn’t fault the care, nowhere compares to it. I got here at 9pm on a Friday night and was told to go to sleep and the consultant would come and see me.

“It felt like the first time someone was telling me what was going on, it was unbelievable, I just relaxed from then on.”

Dave was placed on the emergency transplant list on 6 May 2016, which was also the day Dave and his wife got married in the hospital. Dave planned the wedding in a matter of days with the help of staff on the wards, the Chaplaincy and Karen from the Relative’s Wing who helped his wife get ready for their special day. 

This year’s Iron Man challenge is taking place on July 14 in Bolton where Dave will be raising money for the Liver Transplant Department at the hospital and also raising awareness of the benefits of organ donation. Dave said:

“Without my donor’s family, who are always in my thoughts, I and many other transplant patients would not be here. I know how difficult the decision is to make, what I’m doing would not be possible without our donors and their brave families.”

You can read more about Dave’s transplant story here. 

You can also support Dave in this incredible challenge by donating to his JustGiving page here. 

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