Al B. Sure! Launches National Advocacy Role as Ambassador for Liver Awareness during Liver Awareness Month
One-year after a selfless donor and amazing family gave Al B! a new lease on life by way of a liver transplant, music legend and New Jack Swing Ambassador, Al B. Sure! will lead the #WalkwithAlBSure while kicking off a new role as Houston Ambassador for the American Liver Foundation’s Liver Life Walk in association with Houston Methodist Hospital. The Liver Life Walk will take place at Macgregor Park, 5225 Calhoun Rd. located at the Texas Medical Center. He will be joined by the supportive population of Houston along with the medical professionals, family and friends who were instrumental in saving his life.
In the Summer of 2022, Al B. Sure!’s world stopped turning when his entire left quadrant went completely numb and he collapsed to the ground. Miraculously he was able to reach his iPhone a few feet away to call childhood friend Edward “Eddie F” Ferrell CHCO, who instructed him to call Dr Uday Khosla MD of Remix HQ who advised the nearly fatal Al B! to immediately make his way to the closest ER. He immediately activated his Uber account to do so. After two cancellations the third time was a charm. The kind Uber driver found Al B! passed out in the street, assisted him into the SUV and headed to the nearest hospital from his location.
After intense evaluation and a subsequent hernia surgery that didn’t fare well, their recommendation was to send him to hospice care stating “there’s not much else we can do for Mr. Brown.” However, Dr. Khosla, his family members Rachel Noerdlinger and national civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, vetoed the sentiment and Dr. Khosla arranged his transfer to Houston Methodist Hospital where his life was subsequently saved. Al B! would go on to spend several months at Houston Methodist where he was intubated, placed on dialysis, given more than 30 blood transfusions, and put on a ventilator for 38 days. He then received a successful liver transplant performed by Dr. Constance M. Mobley, M.D., Ph.D. FACS, Associate Director of Liver Transplantation J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, Associate Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation, Medical Director, Surgical & Liver ICU, assisted by Dr. Mark Joseph Hobeika, MD, FACS.
According to Dr. Constance M. Mobley MD, PHD who conducted Al B’s liver transplant: “Al B! was so sick at the time when we met that most people with the severity of his disease would have died within 28 days. Ninety percent of the people perish with his level of multi organ failure and the fact that Al was able to get through it was a miracle. It is a testament to his spiritual, psychological, and physical reserve.”
Dr. Uday M. Khosla M.D., Nephrologist & Managing Partner at Remix Medical, PLLC, the medical professional who orchestrated the team who conducted Al B. Sure!'s medical care said: “It was only a matter of 90 minutes from when Al B! hit the ground the day he passed out and went into the hospital before he was on a ventilator, put into a medically induced coma and put on dialysis. Al B! was actively dying and all his organs were shutting down and we knew we had to save him.”
According to Event Chair Al B. Sure!, “My life’s work is now that of being a global ambassador for health and wellness and by sharing my medical journey, the hope is my community will seek help and not be deterred by the existing structure of health care where there is a looming disparity. I hope to one day lobby for legislation in ‘updating the software’ of health care access and create true equity and inclusion for my community as it relates to the broken structure of health care in America. I am eternally grateful for the care given to me by a team of heroic doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital and I am thankful to the American Liver Foundation and Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Stiehl for combining forces with me to share my story with the world and those that need to hear it to find the courage to conquer their own medical crises starting with Houston, Texas.”
Liver Life Walk is a signature event of the American Liver Foundation (ALF). It allows people affected by liver disease to come together to raise awareness and funds. It also gives them the opportunity to support each other in a festive and inspiring environment. Funds raised through the Liver Life Walk allows ALF to provide valuable resources to liver patients and their families. A special thank you to Ms. Alise “Young Jackson, National Senior Manager of Events at American Liver Foundation for championing The ALF Liver Life Walk, #WalkwithAlBSure. A special thanks for the tireless work of Dr. R Mark Ghobrial MD PhD, JC Walter Presidential Distinguished Chair, Director JC Walter Jr Transplant Center at Houston Methodist; Dr. Sudha Kodali, MD, MSPH, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Medical Director, Liver Cancer Program Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Transplant; Analisa Lopez Minority Outreach Program Project Manager at Houston Methodist; Riki Graves, MHA Business Development Specialist; Arianne Dowdell, Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion officer, and Urologist Dr. David Ho, MD.