Kimberly

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)*

My older brother Paul was put on dialysis in 2012. He’s my older brother and always looked after me and my two younger brothers when we were growing up. When he was told he needed a kidney transplant, I offered to be his living donor. So in early May 2013, I got myself ready to be in the best health I could be to give him a good kidney. I needed to lose weight. I joined the YMCA where I swam laps. I actually got up to one mile a day six days a week. I ate healthy meals I joined a weekly Zumba class. I was making good progress and feeling good. Just seven months later, December 2013 I had lost 96 pounds and I could see my goal in sight.

It was two days before Christmas. I woke up with the flu. Paul had dialysis that day and wanted to stay home to take care of me. I talked him into going to dialysis that day and promised I would take care of myself.

I stayed in bed all day just feeling lousy. Right before Paul came home to check on me, I took a shower trying to feel better. About five minutes after he came home, I got nauseous and reached for a styrofoam cup, a large 32oz cup. I threw up blood. Enough blood to fill that cup just about to the brim. I was in shock and so was Paul. Poor Paul ended up taking me to the ER that night. That’s the night I was told I couldn’t be a kidney donor for my brother because I had end stage liver disease and I needed a liver transplant. I couldn’t believe it, I wasn’t a drinker or smoker, and didn’t take any drugs or anything that I knew of that would give me liver disease. I found out later it was my weight that damaged my liver.

Por fim, fui colocado na lista de espera para um transplante de fígado em março de 2015 e fui abençoado o suficiente para receber minha segunda chance em 11 de fevereiro de 2016. Uma pessoa generosa no Texas me deu a chance de viver. Agradeço a ela e sua família por hoje e todos os dias.

Eu me inscrevi para ser um doador vivo de rim para meu irmão mais velho. Isso me levou a ser diagnosticado com doença hepática terminal. Eu não poderia ser seu doador. Agora sou um receptor de fígado. Eu parti para salvar meu irmão, ele por sua vez me salvou. Estou inscrito para ser um doador de órgãos, tecidos e olhos. Eu sei em primeira mão as coisas incríveis que a doação de órgãos pode trazer. 

*Esteato-hepatite associada à disfunção metabólica (MASH) é o novo nome para esteato-hepatite não alcoólica (NASH).

Revisado clinicamente em abril de 2025.

Última atualização em 12 de junho de 2025 às 12h36