Mum battling liver disease wins £300 competition prize and shares it with her mum

Michelle Thompson, Lindsay’s Mum, stylist Louisa Houghton and Lindsay West

Lindsay West, 35, who has incurable liver disease, has been treated to a £300 makeover after winning a competition.

Lindsay, of Rochdale, was thrilled to hear she had won top prize but her first thought was that she wanted to share it with her mum.

So both mother and daughter made the most of their £300 worth of vouchers to spend at Rochdale Exchange under the expert guidance of top stylist Louisa Houghton.

Over the last year Lindsay’s mum, Michelle Thompson, 53, has been a rock by her side, nursing and caring for her in her darkest hours.

The once high-flying executive’s lifestyle has been turned upside down since she was diagnosed with terminal liver disease. If she does not get a transplant Lindsay has been told she has no hope of survival.

But Lindsay is fighting on and astonished doctors earlier this year when she was so ill in hospital that a priest was called in to administer the last rites.

Lindsay defied the odds to pull through and return home to be with her young son, Elliot, aged 11.

“He has also been a tremendous support to me. He does so many jobs around the house and he won’t let me lift anything. He’s always telling me not to do this or that because he will do it instead. He and my family, especially mum, are my real strengths,” said Lindsay, who also has two sisters and a brother.

She said she wanted to do something as a thank you for her mum and when she won the prize that was the ideal opportunity.

“Louisa, our stylist, was fabulous with us, she couldn’t have been more kind, and we managed to find mum some really lovely outfits. She looked great,” said Lindsay. “We had a nice lunch too.”

As part of the prize the pair visited Clarks for a trendy pair of new boots for Lindsay’s Mum and were also given a Boots cosmetics makeover and enjoyed a free lunch at Beales Department Store.

Lorenzo O’Reilly, Rochdale Exchange Manager, said: “It has been a treat for us to hand over this lovely prize to both Lindsay and her Mum after they have been through so much together.

“Both of them thoroughly deserved to be pampered and I cannot think of two more worthy winners of our fantastic prize.”

Stylist of 18 years-experience, Louisa, has worked with soap stars and other TV personalities, and now runs Wirral based designer label Our Beautiful Life.

She helped the pair select a range of on-trend autumn and winter fashions, including an elegant all-black Christmas day dress and some tartan capes for Lindsay.

Louisa said: “Lindsay was a joy to work with, she is so knowledgeable about fashion and knew the type of clothes she likes, while Michelle never really treats herself so I was able to help her choose some stunning styles that she might not normally have gone for. They really suited her. I was moved to cry by one of the outfits she tried on, she looked so lovely.”

Lindsay first became ill about a year ago, initially feeling lethargic and then violently unwell. She was treated in hospital for colitis - a bowel infection - and it was thought she would make a full recovery. But doctors later found irreparable damage to her liver. Now she has to stick to a rigorous diet and be extra careful not to get infections.

“My immune system is vulnerable and so any kind of infection could prove fatal,” she said.

She is currently undergoing six months of testing in preparation for being added to the liver transplant waiting list.

She said she had been greatly helped by liver specialist nurse Lynn Kendrick at Oldham Royal Hospital and also the expert team at Springhill Hospice, Rochdale.

“They have given me advice, guidance, information and general emotional support whenever I have needed it. I can’t thank them enough,” she said.