LONG-TIME charity fundraiser Scott Glynn has thanked the family of the donor who gave him his new liver for their “incredible gift”.

Scott, of Tranent’s Elphinstone Road, was called in for the transplant – the third time he had received such a call, with two previous surgeries cancelled – and underwent a 10-hour operation at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

And it was touch and go in the operating theatre with Scott’s wife Carol facing the fear that an emergency call would have to be made for another liver in the middle of the surgery as surgeons battled to graft the donor organ.

Speaking from his home, Scott paid tribute the family of his donor, whose identity has not been revealed to him.

He said: “When I heard I had a donor I was humbled and concerned for the donor’s family who made this tough decision.

“It is a gift, an incredible gift and I am immensely grateful to them. They followed the wishes of this man or woman at an incredibly traumatic time.”

Scott is in a self-imposed lockdown as he does everything he can to make sure he avoids infection and recovers.

Scott, 54, who has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds with his Walk With Scott Foundation, was diagnosed with liver cancer earlier this year and told, after a series of tests, he would need a transplant.

He and Carol continued their fundraising efforts through the foundation and called for more people to sign up for organ donation.

Carol recalled the hours waiting for news at the hospital.

She said: “The goodbye was quick when the go ahead for the transplant did come – and although my relief was great I had great sadness for the donor’s family.

“I know the pain of grief and for this part of the wait as I call it, it was filled with thoughts of them.

“It was to be well after teatime and nine hours since Scott left for theatre that the first call came.

“The call was to say Scott was being prepared for the final stages of his operation and returning to ICU; however the procedure had thrown up some complications and for a while the surgeon and his team had had a few hairy hours and fought to graft the donor’s liver to Scott.

“It was at this point I broke down and cried. Scott had been very very close to requiring an emergency worldwide call for a further liver.

“There is no explanation as to why this happens, it just can. And I thought it was so like Scott to cause a furrow and be asleep throughout!”

Within hours of the surgery Scott’s colour had begun to return to normal and after a few days he was astonishing doctors by going for walks with the aid of a zimmer frame.

Scott said: “The doctors asked what I did for exercise and I told them I walked four to six miles every day. Afterwards they admitted they thought I was exaggerating because I don’t look like I do, but realised when I went in that I was, in fact, very fit. They said that is what saved my life.”

Scott is now urging families to sit down and talk about organ donation and make sure they know what their loved ones want.

He said: “It is important, not just that people register to be a donor but that they have a conversation with their loved ones. I am very lucky to have received a new liver – many don’t get that chance. Please think about donating and make sure your family know your views.”