Sometimes fatty liver disease is a family affair
Sharing our many ways to work toward better health
I’m used to my teenage daughter’s eye rolls and heavy sighs when I talk about her health. I’ve had so many crazy things happen in my own health with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a type of fatty liver disease, that I feel like I should issue her fair warnings about what may lie ahead for her. Mostly, I tell her ways to eat and drink things that are better for the health of her future self. I do the same with my siblings.
When my liver decided to finally announce how sick it was and that I’d likely need a new one soon, my sister, thank heavens for her, offered to donate. But when she learned she had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, she was out. Soon both my brothers were out, too. We didn’t just share blood ties; we shared a love of eating, and it negatively affected our liver health.
Having a family full of the liver-afflicted has been a wake-up call for all of us. My sister has had the tolls of life and motherhood visit her body. She and I are making substantial dietary changes. She often sends me TikTok and Instagram videos with special diets or healthy dishes with recipes. After learning how hard sugar can be on the liver, we’ve cut back on consuming as much. We’ve become food sleuths, much like our mother was.
My youngest brother is a butcher by trade; the other brother drills holes into the earth for a living. The baby brother is married with two kids; the other brother is divorced with three beautiful grandchildren. They’ve each struggled with their weight and health as we’ve all made our way into middle age.
Making changes
Still, my diagnosis prompted them to peek into their own health, and they, too, are making many changes. They both cook, thanks to our mother making sure we all knew how to do it, and they’re making healthier food: fewer clucking and mooing things, more sprouting and growing things.
Growing up with a chef for a mother was a blessing and a curse. When my mom wasn’t busy delighting customers at the restaurant where she worked with her casual dining recipes and baked goods, she was delighting her family with her home cooking. We craved our mother’s food, which was exceptionally delicious and fattening — liver fattening, to be exact. I don’t blame my mother, and neither do my siblings. We loved coming home from school to fresh, made-from-scratch cookies, cakes, and pies.
I never set out to be the family’s nag-in-chief, but since my family coalesced around me during my health crisis, I’ve done all I can think to keep them off the dangerous path I was on.
Looking at my family now, especially my daughter, I’d do anything for any of them. They’ve all been there for me when I needed them most, so saving them from a similar fate is the least I could do. I may or may not have been the first person in the family to be diagnosed with MASH, but I’d like to be the last.
Note: Liver Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Liver Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to liver disease.
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