Great Scot Awards - Daniel Foster nominates his brave wife Jen

Jul 13 2008 By Heather Greenaway

DAN FOSTER thinks he is the luckiest man in Scotland after winning his wife's heart - then half her liver as well.

Jen Foster, 26, risked her own life to save her husband of eight months by donating 60 per cent of the organ in Scotland's first live liver transplant.

IT worker Daniel, 28, believes Jen is one of Scotland's Unsung Heroes and has put her forward for a Great Scot Award.

Dan said: "My wife is the bravest woman in Scotland.

"Her determination to fix me, despite the risks, sums up the can-do attitude that makes Scotland great. She's amazing."

The couple had the 15-hour op at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on January 16 and are well on the road to recovery.

As a teenager, Dan was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, which affects the bile ducts of the liver, and knew he would need a transplant one day.

Jen, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, met New Zealander Dan while touring Australia, where he worked.

They wed last May in Fiji but four months later, Dan was told he only had a year to live without a donor.

Jen, a student vet nurse, did not hesitate to offer part of her organ, which will regenerate itself.

Dan said: "I only let her go ahead with it because we had total faith in the surgeons.

"Not a day goes by when I don't look at Jen and remember what she did for me. I don't have that feeling of impending doom hanging overmenow. I've got so much to look forward to now."

Jen, who was shocked to hear she was up for a Great Scot, said: "I would do anything to save my husband's life and know he'd do the same for me.

"I believed in my heart of hearts it was going to work.

"I would not have a husband if the transplant had not gone ahead.

"The whole thing has been like a fairytale. I was supposed to meet Dan when I did so I could give him what he needed most - my liver."

Nominations for this year's Awards have been pouring in so if you know someone as brave and selfless as Jen, fill in the form opposite.

Four unsung heroes will be announced at a star-studded ceremony on September 20 at the Glasgow Hilton.

Another will be crowned the Great Scot of 2008.

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