Dying at 48: Mum has months to live after years of drinking destroyed liver

Hazel Birnie will never meet her grandchild after a lifetime of boozing has left her with a death sentence Hazel Birnie has so much to live for - including the arrival of her first grandchild in December. But because of a lifetime spent drinking, she won’t live to see the baby born. Alcohol has destroyed Hazel’s liver. She’s only 48, but doctors have told her she’ll be dead in a couple of months, the Daily Record reports. Hazel, of Aberdeen, doesn’t want pity. She says candidly: “I’ve brought this on myself. It’s my own fault.” But with great courage, she does want to tell her story – to try to save others from making the mistakes she did. “If my story can save just one person, that’s all I want for my last days,” mum-of-three Hazel said. “The damage I’ve done to myself is so bad, I want to warn people of the dangers. “I was warned and warned by doctors to stop drinking and I didn’t. There’s no higher price to pay than the one I’m paying now. “I won’t be here to meet my grandchild. My daughter is going to need her mum to help her but I’m not going to be around to do that for her. “I would love to have held that baby in my arms. I would have spoiled it rotten, like a granny should.“I feel guilty about that every day.” Hazel’s losing battle with alcohol began in earnest 10 years ago, when her partner and the father of her son and two daughters died. At her worst, she was drinking “litres and litres” of strong cider. “His death was the trigger for me,” she said. “He was my rock. “The kids were only young so I tried to keep it together for them. But later on I had to grieve and I was alone – lonely and bored. “It’s progressively got worse over the years. “I’d like to get across the destruction, and I mean destruction, it causes within the family. “It’s not just the alcoholic or the recovering alcoholic. It’s the effect it has on your family.” Hazel now has end stage liver disease and “zero” liver function. Doctors have told her she is not fit enough for a transplant and there is nothing they can do to save her. She is expecting to be admitted to hospital any day to begin end-of-life care. The doctors are doing what they can to make Hazel comfortable. She is being treated for severe ascites, a condition linked to liver failure where the stomach swells as fluid builds up between her organs. She said: “The last two times I’ve been in hospital they’ve taken 10 litres out of me and it just keeps coming back. “When they take me in this week I’ll have a permanent drain inserted, which will make me a bit more comfortable.” Hazel also suffers from anaemia, memory loss and muscle wastage and needs help to walk. “I’m 48 and I have a zimmer,” she says. “I might as well be 80. “I’m in constant pain, falling asleep all the time. My body is shutting down.” Hazel still drinks two glasses of wine a day. They help with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. She had hoped to die at home, but that won’t be possible. “I’ll be in too much pain for that to happen,” she said. “I’m spending as much time with my kids as I can now. “I’ll die knowing they love me and that’s all a mother can ask for.”

Health

Dying at 48: Mum has months to live after years of drinking destroyed liver