THE family of a young woman rushed to hospital and robed up for a potentially life saving liver transplant were devastated when the operation was cancelled at the 11th hour.

Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Sarah Meredith was a hair’s breath away from receiving the new liver after being sped to King’s College Hospital, London in an ambulance from her home in Totnes.

The 29-year-old has been waiting for more than a year for the transplant she so desperately needs, but was recently told by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) bosses there was little chance of being approved for one because her post-op chance of survival is not high enough.

But last week, to the family’s surprise, Sarah received a call from the hospital to say there was a liver available and she was second in line to receive it.

Following a tense overnight wait for the liver to be delivered to Kings and tested to make sure it was performing as it should, Sarah was prepared for theatre at 7am the following morning.

But an hour later she was was dealt a crushing blow when the family heard it had gone to the person first in line instead.

Mum Cathy said: “The transplant was very worrying as Sarah is high risk. We were saying what might have been our last words and then were faced with devastating disappointment. It put us through hell, it was awful.”

Following the emotional roller coaster, Cathy has renewed her plea for more people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision.