Prevention & Early Detection Saves Lives

American Liver Foundation (ALF) patient advocate, Lydia DeLoney, began the morning of December 23, 2016, like any other day. Lydia said, “I woke up around 6:30am to go for my daily walk. Everything seemed fine, and I took the day off to get ready for a slumber party I was hosting for my daughter and nieces that evening. When I got back from my walk, I got right to work prepping for the party, but by the time the girls came home at 3pm, I was exhausted. It felt like I was coming down with something, so after getting them settled, I went and laid down for a bit. When I got up around 6pm that evening, I felt worse than I did before. My symptoms reminded me of when I had pneumonia as a child – I was nauseous, my body ached, and I was incredibly weak, my chest hurt and there was a stabbing pain in my right side; it felt like someone was jabbing me with an icepick. My daughter even told me my eyes looked yellow. I went back upstairs to try and rest it off, but around 11pm, I knew there was no sleeping this away, so I called my mom and told her to come get the girls so I could get to the hospital.”

Liver disease often has little or no symptoms; find out if you’re at risk today!

Lydia continued, “When I finally arrived at the hospital, I was ready to pass out. The intake nurse took one look at me and called for trauma response. I was immediately whisked away and given an IV so they could begin running tests. There were so many doctors involved trying to figure out what happened, and why – they even consulted with infectious disease doctors and the CDC, and after a few days of testing, I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).” AIH is a chronic, autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks the liver and causes it to become inflamed. Left untreated, AIH can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure and the need for a lifesaving liver transplant. Lydia continued, “AIH hit me in one day with no warning and no symptoms – I spent two whole weeks quite literally fighting for my life. At one point, my liver was in fulminant hepatic failure in which severe deterioration of liver function happens suddenly. It is through God’s grace that I survived it all.”

More than 100 million Americans are affected by liver disease.

Nearly eight years after her AIH diagnosis, Lydia was diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), another chronic autoimmune liver disease resulting from the progressive destruction of the liver’s bile ducts. As a patient advocate, Lydia hopes to raise awareness around the importance of increasing federal funding for the study of liver disease research and improving access to better treatments and cures. Lydia is no stranger to raising awareness around causes important to her, especially on a national scale. Earlier this year, Lydia spoke on behalf of an organization she volunteers for about the ongoing housing crisis happening in Massachusetts – there were more than 1,700 people in attendance. Lydia said, “I want to make Congress Members aware of the importance of liver health, and the need to increase funding for liver disease research on Capitol Hill; the liver is a powerhouse organ – without it, your chances of survival are zero.”

Many liver diseases can be reversed through healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise.

It is important to take care of your liver and talk to your doctor about liver disease prevention and early detection. October is National Liver Awareness Month, and ALF is encouraging everyone to take a liver health quiz to find out if they’re at risk for liver disease, try our new 30-day liver healthy meal plan, and participate in free educational and community events held all month long. We thank volunteer advocates like Lydia for their continued support and dedication to the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. For more information about ALF’s National Liver Awareness Month initiative, please read our nationwide press release. For information about ALF and liver disease, visit our website.