Marathon Runners Take to the Big Apple to Raise Awareness of Liver Disease
American Liver Foundation Team Runs the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6th
The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is proud to once again be a member of the TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Program for the 2022 race, which takes place on Sunday, November 6, 2022, in New York City’s five boroughs.
"We are so grateful for the support of the TCS New York City Marathon," said Lorraine Stiehl, Chief Executive Officer, American Liver Foundation (ALF). "Nearly 100 million people in the U.S. are affected by liver disease and most aren’t aware they even have it. That’s why we are so honored that these runners have chosen to join us to help raise awareness and funds to combat liver disease and advance liver health."
The American Liver Foundation’s TCS New York City Marathon team is made up of runners with varying levels of experience from novice to advanced, most of whom have a connection to liver disease. All funds raised will go towards ALF’s mission to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment and cure of liver disease.
“The opportunities the American Liver Foundation have given me over the past year have been tremendous and I am very grateful to run the TCS NYC Marathon for an amazing organization, be surrounded by amazing people, and help spread liver disease awareness,” said Mason Fliegel, ALF’s 2022 Marathon Chairand family member of a liver transplant recipient. “The joy of running the marathon is truly amazing but the real joy and motivation for me is being able to represent each and every one of those individuals who have battled or are currently fighting against liver disease.”
ALF National Board member, Peter Cullen, will also be running on the ALF team this year. “I began my journey with liver disease and cancer over 20 years ago as a father of two young daughters. Thanks to two liver transplants and tremendous support from my family, medical professionals, and the American Liver Foundation, I am running this year's TCS NYC Marathon with my now adult daughter, Katie, who has become a Transplant and Oncology Nurse Practitioner at City of Hope in Los Angeles. With every stride we take, we hope to give others suffering from liver disease the chance to also live a long and healthy life.”
Find a listing of the full American Liver Foundation (ALF) TCS New York City Marathon team.
The American Liver Foundation hosts a wide range of fundraising events that bring local communities together in support of our mission. Learn more about our national signature campaigns Liver Life Walk and Liver Life Challenge or find an event near you at liverfoundation.org.
About Liver Disease
Your liver is essential to your life. It is the largest solid internal organ in the body. It is about the size of a football and weighs about 3 to 3.5 pounds (1.36–1.59kg). It is located on your right side, just under your rib cage. The liver performs many vital functions, including filtering toxins from your blood, managing blood clotting, making bile to digest fat, storing sugar for energy, turning extra glucose into glycogen, making protein for blood plasma, and helping with digestion.
There are many kinds of liver diseases and conditions, the most common are hepatitis viruses, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease or MASLD, autoimmune diseases, genetic conditions, cancer, and others. More than 100 million people in the U.S. have some form of liver disease. Approximately 4.5 million U.S. adults (1.8%) have been diagnosed with liver disease. But it is estimated that 80-100 million adults in the U.S. have fatty liver disease (newly renamed to steatotic liver disease or SLD), and many do not know they have it. Research estimates that fatty liver disease is present in up to 75% of overweight people and in more than 90% with severe obesity. Globally, it affects one billion people. In 2020, 51,642 adults in the U.S. died from liver disease (15.7 per 100,000 population). Find more information about Liver Disease.
About the American Liver Foundation
The American Liver Foundation is the nation’s largest non-profit organization focused solely on promoting liver health and disease prevention. The American Liver Foundation achieves its mission in the fight against liver disease by funding scientific research, education for medical professionals, advocacy, information and support programs for patients and their families as well as public awareness campaigns about liver wellness and disease prevention. The mission of the American Liver Foundation is to promote education, advocacy, support services and research for the prevention, treatment and cure of liver disease. For more information visit liverfoundation.org or call:1 800 GO LIVER (800-465-4837).
Last updated on January 16th, 2024 at 11:45 am