American Liver Foundation gala to recognize biliary atresia family
McMahon family celebrated for fundraising, awareness efforts
The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is granting its Spirit of Giving Family Award to a U.S. family for its dedication to raising funds and awareness for biliary atresia and other liver diseases.
The family behind the Lee & Aiden McMahon Foundation will receive the award at this year’s ALF National Legacy Gala, to be held Oct. 7 in New York.
The gala intends to celebrate individuals, families, and other groups who have made a significant impact on the liver community, and to raise awareness of and funds for liver disease. The event brings together patients, families, medical professionals, and industry partners, the foundation said.
“This year’s National Legacy Gala will honor one of the culture’s most celebrated recording artists turned transplantation activist, a nationally and internationally recognized physician leader and mentor in liver disease research, and a family who turned their personal tragedy into a clarion call to help others facing the same challenges,” Lorraine Stiehl, ALF’s CEO and caregiver to a transplant recipient, said in a foundation press release. “This will surely be an evening to remember, and we are grateful to our esteemed award recipients.”
Joseph McMahon and his brothers, Michael and Tommy, established the Lee & Aiden McMahon Foundation after Joseph’s son Aiden died from biliary atresia in 2002, at just over a year old.
A serious condition
Biliary atresia is a congenital condition in which the tubes that carry digestive fluid bile out of the liver become blocked. Without treatment, the condition is typically fatal by age 2.
Biliary atresia is an infantile liver condition where the tubes that carry the digestive fluid bile out of the liver are absent or blocked. Bile accumulation in the liver can ultimately result in liver failure, and a liver transplant is the only therapeutic option.
The foundation is also named for the McMahon brothers’ mother, Lee, who died from brain cancer in 1999.
The family-run foundation provides support to charities that fund vital research and other initiatives related to combating biliary atresia and other liver diseases. Its main fundraising event is a charity golf outing, held most recently in August. It has helped raise $1.4 million over the last two decades to support the American Liver Foundation and Hospice Care Network.
Funds for the Hospice Care Network are intended for the organization’s Children’s Bereavement Program, which helps children cope with the death of a loved one. Funds raised for the ALF go toward the fight against biliary atresia and other liver conditions.
Other awardees at the gala include Al B. Sure!, a multi-platinum R&B singer, songwriter, producer, and liver transplant recipient. He will receive the Transplant Trailblazer Award for his efforts to improve transplantation-related health equity in marginalized communities as a co-founder of The Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition.
Also being recognized is Scott Friedman, MD, an international leader in research on liver disease-related scarring. Friedman, who has trained more than 90 postdoctoral researchers and students, many of whom remain in the liver research field, will receive the Leadership Award.
The gala will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, and dinner, during which the award recipients will be recognized. Quintin Gazi, this year’s National LIVEr Champion, will also speak about his experiences being diagnosed with a rare liver disease and preparing for a transplant as a teenager.
Tickets for the gala start at $750. Registration for the auction, is available for pre-event and remote bidding, is also available.
About the Author
