Man not expected to reach teens celebrates 50th birthday

Mark Allen recently celebrated his half century, which is no mean feat for someone who has ‘cheated death’ at least twice, including a stay in intensive care at Warrington Hospital earlier this year.

Mark, from Widnes, was born with cystic fibrosis which causes lung damage and makes it hard to breathe.

When he was born, his parents were told he would not make it into his teens, but he has always defied the odds despite several close shaves.

In his early 30s, Mark ended up chained to an oxygen machine after surviving a bout of pneumonia while living in South Korea, which wrecked his ravaged lungs and left the outlook bleak.

Then in 2005, in the nick of time he was given the gift of life by a stranger whose untimely death led to the donation of a pair of lungs that have kept him going for 16 years and counting.

“All I know is he was male and one year younger than me,” said Mark, who will be forever grateful.

“Part of him is alive inside me, and there might be another eight or ten people with health issues who benefited from organ donations from that same person.”

He hopes this thought brings some comfort to the loved ones of the deceased.

The transplant gave Mark a new lease of life, but it has not been plain sailing. Just nine months after the operation, his body started to reject the new lungs, reducing their capacity to around just 20 per cent.

However Mark, a press officer for Halton Borough Council, has still managed to enjoy a full life, working full-time, but also socialising, playing sport, performing music and attending gigs and festivals.

He has won countless medals competing at table tennis in the British, European and World Transplant Games – including several golds.

“Your body adapts to having a lower lung capacity,” he said. “It is never easy, but it is better than it was when I first had to cope with it. Of course, you have good days and bad days.”

Unfortunately, his challenges grow as he now needs a kidney transplant because daily anti-rejection drugs have taken their toll. In the meantime, he must undergo dialysis three times a week.

A friend’s partner has generously agreed to donate one of her kidneys, but the operation has been delayed, first by the Covid pandemic and then a car accident that nearly finished Mark off for a second time in May.

The collision, involving a lorry on the Widnes side of the Silver Jubilee Bridge, closed the crossing for a week due to a diesel spill.

Already weakened from his health condition, Mark was left unconscious in intensive care at Warrington Hospital, leaving family and friends fearful he had finally met his match.

Fortunately, Mark seems to have more lives than his family’s pet cats, and he is slowly recovering thanks to the support of his mum Maureen and girlfriend Ela.

He has also finally been able to go back to work on a phased return.

Mark celebrated his 50th birthday over a weekend that included a gig at the Brindley, a small gathering at home and a lunch out in Liverpool.

To what does he attribute his continued existence on this earth?

“Luck and hard work. It is unlucky these things have happened to me, but lucky it was not worse,” he added.

“Hard work in so much as I have to be disciplined in keeping myself as fit as possible given my reduced lung capacity. That means going for walks, using my indoor bike and following a strict kidney diet.

“You cannot let it eat you up, as if you did it, that would be very depressing. I would love to win some more European medals at table tennis, but I need to build up my stamina.”