When 28-year-old Lorenzo takes part in the London Marathon next month, he hopes to give encouragement to every young person with a childhood liver disease. Lorenzo, a sales leader for Dassault Systemes in London, has been training hard for his first marathon over the past six months. It’s something his parents would not have dreamed of when he was first born, as he explains:
“I was born in Puglia, southern Italy in December 1996. When I was only 40 days old, I began to display symptoms of a liver malfunction, and following numerous blood tests, I was diagnosed with biliary atresia. I underwent the Kasai surgery to prevent further liver damage, but doctors had already told my parents that I needed a liver transplant. We travelled to London to be under the care of Kings College Hospital. In August 1997, aged just eight months, I received a liver transplant – the best gift I could have ever asked for!
“Since that day I’ve been lucky enough to go from strength to strength. I was able to go to school, then attend university in London, where I graduated in Business and Management. I love travelling and have been to the USA, Vietnam, and Dubai, with many more plans! I really enjoy my job with Dassault Systemes and last summer I got engaged to my amazing partner Yvie.
“I know I’m lucky. Other than my immunosuppressive medication and my six-monthly appointments at Kings, I live a completely normal life. I enjoy football, tennis and now of course, running! But I know that other people with liver disease are not so fortunate and that is why I wanted to do this. By running the marathon, not only can I raise funds for a cause which is so close to my heart, I can also give hope to other families who have a child with a liver disease.
“I can only imagine what my parents went through when I was a baby, and I am so grateful for everything they have done for me. The support and information which is available through Children’s Liver Disease Foundation and British Liver Trust wasn’t available to me, growing up in Italy. But if I can help families like mine in any way, then it means a lot. I also want to raise awareness of the amazing life-saving gift which is organ donation.
“Although I’ve always been active, over the past six months I have followed a rigid training plan, going out at least three times a week, balancing short and long runs. Now the big day is getting nearer, I am beyond excited and can’t wait to do this. Bring on April 27th 2025!”
You can support Lorenzo’s London Marathon challenge here Lorenzo Maria Napoli is fundraising for British Liver Trust
