Made in Chelsea star Sam Vanderpump hits out at trolls after being diagnosed with ‘end stage liver disease’
The reality star took the opportunity to clear up a misunderstanding
Sam Vanderpump has hit out at trolls after sharing his diagnosis of ‘end stage liver disease’.
The Made in Chelsea star recently opened up on the reality show as he revealed there is ‘no hope of my liver getting better’.
The 28-year-old recalled his doctor saying: “I wouldn’t be having this call with you if I thought you could make it through the next four or five years.”
Vanderpump explained that he hopes to ‘remain healthy’ right until he gets ‘a call’ to go in for surgery and then to ‘wake up and I’ll be healthier’.
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The nephew of reality TV icon Lisa Vanderpump did add that others ‘will be higher up on the list’ than him, so he isn’t sure how long he will be waiting for a new liver.
What is end-stage liver disease?
The final stage of some long-term liver diseases and acute liver failure, this is when your liver is damaged beyond repair and can no longer function properly.
Symptoms of end-stage liver disease include jaundice, fatigue, confusion, leg swelling, and abdominal pain. Treatment can include a liver transplant if the organ’s function is severely compromised.
After the episode of Made in Chelsea aired, Vanderpump shared a message from the NHS organ donor Instagram account, urging his followers to ensure they've consented to be a donor and informed their next of kin.
Sam Vanderpump responds to trolls
While the TV star has been very open about his diagnosis and how his liver may not have long left, some social media users have taken to trolling him.
One user commented on a post slamming: “Sam is really milking this. The average wait for a liver transplant is 5 months.”
And while he said he ‘probably shouldn’t engage’ with the troll, Vanderpump said there ‘was one point’ he wanted to specifically.
In a video, he said: “I didn’t say I had four to five years to live. What the doctors said to me was, ‘Your liver won’t make it four to five more years, that’s why we need to do an organ transplant'.
“Believe it or not, I don’t think the NHS go around giving liver transplants for the fun of it. It’s not an ideal operation.
“I’ve had moments like right now where I’ve gone, should I have just not spoken about it? But the reason I’m speaking about it so loudly is that there are currently 8,000 people in the UK waiting for organs.”
Vanderpump said this number ‘can drastically come down’ if people confirm on the NHS organ donor register.
“I don’t know how many lives are lost every year, but it shouldn’t be measured like that. If we can save one life every year I think it’s worth it,’ he concluded.
Jess Battison