'I'm teetotal but almost died from liver disease at 27 - and I'm not alone'

By the time then 27-year-old Robyn Noble got the call, it was already too late. The student from Croydon had gone from studying for her master's degree to being told she h as six months left to live - all in a matter of weeks. Her world was turned upside down when a routine trip to her GP for fatigue in March 2021 - something she assumed was linked to a thyroid condition - uncovered something far more serious. Within hours she was diagnosed with killer liver cirrhosis - a condition long associated with excess alcohol consumption - and put on hold for a transplant. "I consider myself to be healthy," she tells the Mirror . "I've never had alcohol in my life. I had no symptoms of cirrhosis. Even when I was taken to hospital, they were surprised." Her condition was so dire that she received an urgent call in the early hours of the morning as soon as her blood test results came in. Her platelets were dangerously low. At A&E, further tests revealed her liver enzymes were "off the chart". Within days, her life had changed completely. Robyn, now 32, was an active swimming and cyclist who had been in the middle of studying to become a psychotherapist. She had never even heard of cirrhosis. The condition is permanent, late-stage scarring of the liver caused by chronic diseases like hepatitis or alcohol misuse. In the UK, mortality rates have increased by 400 percent since 1970, making it one of the fastest-growing causes of death. Today, more than 13,000 people die from liver disease each year in the UK - one of the highest rates in Western Europe. After two weeks of tests, doctors diagnosed Robyn with autoimmune hepatitis - a condition where the immune system attacks the liver which can be influenced by environmental factors. She began suffering repeated episodes of hepatic encephalopathy - a serious complication that affects brain function. "One of the liver's jobs is to remove ammonia from the blood," she says. "When it can't, it affects your brain. "It caused complete amnesia. I would go to bed and the next thing I know, it's a few days later and I'm in hospital. I had no idea what happened." In just four weeks, she had three frightening episodes. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that at one point, doctors told her she might not survive the wait. "They said the average waiting time is six months and they weren't sure I had six months." Despite never drinking, Robyn says she faced repeated assumptions about her illness - even from medical professionals. "There are two big misconceptions," she says. "That liver disease is caused by alcohol, or that it only affects people who are overweight. I've had people say, 'you're too young' or 'you must have done something wrong'." Even during a hospital admission, she recalls a doctor assuming she had been drinking heavily because of her symptoms. "That irritates me," she says. "There's not enough awareness around autoimmune conditions." By June 2021, just three months after her initial diagnosis, Robyn was critically ill. Her liver and kidneys were failing, she was on dialysis, and her body was severely swollen. Confusion from her condition meant she often didn't recognise the doctors treating her. "I was so ill and confused," she says. "They had to reintroduce themselves to me every day. I was either asleep or vomiting. I couldn't even walk." Thankfully, a liver became available within five days but her recovery from the transplant was far from straightforward. Because of her small frame - she is 4ft 11in - the donor liver was too large, leaving her with what she describes as 'a giant hernia'. Further surgeries followed, along with serious complications. During one operation, she suffered an anaphylactic reaction. She later developed sepsis and pneumonia, leaving her in a coma for several days. "I was incredibly swollen," she says. "My lungs collapsed. It was a lot." She was finally discharged in December 2021 - nine months after first going to her GP for fatigue. Against the odds, Robyn has rebuilt much of her life. She returned to her studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, graduating with distinction, and has since worked for the NHS . But life after transplant is not without challenges. "My core strength will never be the same," she says. "Cycling and swimming are harder now. There's also the fatigue of living with a body that doesn't work the way you want it to." Robyn's story comes as liver disease reaches crisis levels across the UK. "Ninety percent of liver disease is preventable, yet it is expected to overtake heart disease as the biggest cause of premature death in the UK," warns Roger Williams, who chaired the Lancet Commission report into liver disease. While alcohol-related liver disease accounts for over 60 percent of deaths, it is far from the only cause. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - linked to obesity - now affects one in three UK adults, with cases rising sharply. Meanwhile, autoimmune conditions like Robyn's, along with viral hepatitis, continue to affect thousands. Experts also warn that three quarters of patients are diagnosed too late, when treatment options are limited. For Robyn, the biggest issue is awareness. "Liver disease isn't just affecting older people," she says. "And it's not just about alcohol." Prof Philip Newsome, director for The Foundation for Liver Research , says transplants are vital but waiting lists can be lengthy. "It is based on severity of liver disease rather than how long somebody has been waiting on the list," he explains. He adds it's vital to ensure early detection of liver disease for a better prognosis for patients, as well as implementing public health measures to tackle obesity and the availability of alcohol.