𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙙
"I lost my dad to liver failure on April 1, 2020.
My father, Paul, had been living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) for several years. His health wasn’t great, but, at first, that wasn’t slowing him down much. He would follow up regularly with his hepatologist who told him that he was stable. This went on for years. Then, his NAFLD progressed into NASH, and things got worse. He was in the hospital more often. He became less mobile, had less energy. We almost lost him in 2011 when the varices in his esophagus bled. After about a week in intensive care and several blood transfusions, he pulled through, and things became stable again. In July 2019, he was admitted with confusion, and we found out that it was due to an infection related to his poor liver health. He was then admitted again over Christmas as things were progressively and more rapidly getting worse.
The medical staff were able to stabilize him once again, though, and he was even well enough for us to have beautiful dinner at my uncle’s house on January 25th to celebrate his 70th birthday.
His next follow-up with his doctor was on February 6, 2020. I spoke to him the next day, and I will remember that conversation forever. His voice was weak; it shook. He told me the doctor’s news: unless he received a transplant, she estimated that he had six months to live.
That very same day, about an hour after our conversation, my dad collapsed. My mother called 911, and he was taken to the Ottawa General Hospital. He never went home."
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𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 www.liver.ca/stroller-spotlight-edith-emelie-mercier/
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"This year, I am participating in the STROLL for LIVER in my father’s memory. He knew about the Stroll and would have wanted to be there. I think he will be."
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗮𝘁 www.strollforliver.ca ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄-𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
by Deb Taylor Troppmann
"In mid-September of 2013, I entered the hospital with flu-like symptoms and an extremely bloated belly. After days of tests, procedures, and interventions, it was determined that I was suffering from acute liver failure due to Budd Chiari Syndrome (blood clots blocking the flow of blood from my liver).
My situation became dire, and my now-husband had to arrange for lawyers to come to my bedside to draw up a will, personal directive, and power of attorney. At just 38 years of age, I was facing my mortality without warning. Just 10 days earlier, I had played the best golf game of my life, and I was generally enjoying an active life having taken a year-long sabbatical from work. The change of the trajectory of my life made my head spin.
On the heels of my liver failure, the rest of my organs began shutting down, too. I was on dialysis and in and out of consciousness in the ICU. I was listed as “Status 3F”—at the top of the list for transplant in Canada. The following day, a liver became available, and I received it the day after that. I had been given 24-48 hours left to live. Only 13 days after being admitted to the hospital, I got my transplant.
I will forever be grateful to my donor and donor family for giving me the gift of life. I think of him all the time. I also think about how fortunate I am to have received a transplant at all, as many others in my situation do not receive one in time.
Although my recovery was tough, I try not to dwell on it. Instead, I focus on living my best life. I gained weight during my recovery, but I knew I had to address that and live a healthy lifestyle if I was going to get back to living the kind of life I wanted. I sought out a personal trainer and began to work out with her 3-4 times a week, with a mix of both cardio and weight training.
Now, at 45 years old, I am healthier and stronger than I have ever been—deadlifting more than 200 pounds! I've started downhill skiing again after a 25-year hiatus, and I'm even learning to ride a motorcycle!
In September 2019, I walked the Camino Trail in Spain with a group of amazing women. Raising funds for the Canadian Liver Foundation with every step, we did approximately 180 km in 9 days, and we ended our journey on the day of my 6th transplant anniversary.
I have been given a second chance at life, and I don’t take that lightly. I am doing my best to be as healthy as possible, honouring my donor's great gift. I'm not sure I will ever be able to top the feeling of walking into the Cathedral at Santiago de Compestela for my 6th liver-versary, but I am going to keep having amazing adventures.
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This story and others like it are always available at www.liver.ca/blog.
Register for the STROLL for LIVER at www.strollforliver.ca
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"COVID-19 has caused me to push pause on some grander plans, but it won’t stop me from doing the STROLL for LIVER and continuing to give back to the Canadian Liver Foundation." ... See MoreSee Less
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Because it was International NASH day recently, we've been doing a lot of talking about NASH, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. You may have seen our "What is NASH video" or some infographics about how the number of NASH cases is shown to be quickly increasing over the coming years.
You may also have noticed that we describe NASH as "a more severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)". It makes sense, then, for us to provide some information about NAFLD.
Please watch and share our "What is NAFLD?" video, and head to www.liver.ca/fatty-liver to learn more. Knowledge is power, and, in this case, it may even be the power to save a life! ... See MoreSee Less
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On June 9, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published findings from a recent research study on the prevalence of fatty liver disease in Canada over the coming years. We partnered with the Canadian NASH network to share the study with the media and raise awareness of the seriousness of this disease.
Last evening, Pauline Chan of CTV News chatted with our own CLF community member, Momma Braga, about her personal fatty liver journey. Did you catch the story? You can see it here: www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1982459
You can also learn more about the research findings by checking out the infographics below. ... See MoreSee Less
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