American Liver Foundation

As we approach the end of 2024, we pause to thank you for your support as we work to fill gaps and meet the needs of liver patients nationwide. This year, thanks to you, we were able to invest in liver disease research, improve patient & public health outcomes, and advance public policy None of this will be possible without your continued support. As we expand on these critical initiatives in 2025, we hope to help fill another crucial gap in the liver community by launching a non-directed living donor (NDD) liver registry. Each year, the number of living donor liver transplants performed trails far behind the number of living donor kidney transplants. With the need for lifesaving liver transplants growing, ALF is here to help fill that gap. By creating a NDD liver registry, ALF can help shorten the liver transplant wait list and help others find a match. Will you help us fill these critical gaps with a donation today? https://alf.social/eoyh Doing this work with you—saving lives thanks to your support—motivates me every day. We can’t thank you enough for all you do. We wish you and your families a Happy and Healthy 2025!

We all need a healthy liver that can SMILE again! We created this educational tool to help everyone remember the important things the liver does to keep us alive.

Registration closes for the 2025 Liver Health Poster Competition on December 31! Be sure to register today! https://lnkd.in/ebmv2S-k

ALF’s National Young Leadership Council is a network of new friends and connections who share a passion to change the face of liver health! Your participation brings awareness to liver disease and helps provide financial support for the resources, support services and education ALF provides to the 100 million Americans affected by liver disease. Learn how you can register or nominate a young professional today: https://alf.social/YLC

Big news—the TCS Sydney Marathon has officially been added to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, joining the ranks of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, and Tokyo! That means it’s now one of the top 7 marathons in the world! And here’s the exciting part: The American Liver Foundation will have a team participating in the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS. This is your chance to join us for an unforgettable international marathon experience and become a champion for liver health! Interested in tackling this iconic endurance event? Apply to join our team today: https://alf.social/SM

Breaking News: The Honor Our Living Donors Act (HOLD Act, HR6020) has officially passed the House of Representatives with unanimous consent! Currently, the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) determines eligibility for financial assistance based on the organ recipient's income. This system can exclude many willing donors from receiving the support they need. The HOLD Act shifts the focus to the donor's income, ensuring that financial assistance reaches those who make the altruistic and life-saving decision to become living organ donors. ALF sincerely thanks the bill’s sponsors, supporters, and the incredible advocates whose voices made this progress possible. Together, we are removing barriers and creating a better future for living donors and transplant patients alike.

Breaking News: The Honor Our Living Donors Act (HOLD Act, HR.6020/S.5504) has been introduced to the Senate with bipartisan support. This critical bill removes financial barriers for living organ donors by revising outdated policies that limit assistance. Send a letter to your Senator telling them to co-sponsor this essential legislation before end of year! https://alf.social/HOLD12

A living donor’s medical expenses, including the pre-transplant evaluation, transplant surgery, and follow-up appointments, are typically covered by the recipient’s insurance. Non-medical costs – such as travel, lodging, meals, childcare, and lost wages – are not covered. The National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) is a resource to help with non-medical costs. Learn about NLDAC and the application process here: https://lnkd.in/eUSi99D3

Meet Emily. When she was six years old, she was diagnosed with liver disease, which resulted in cirrhosis of the liver. She was immediately placed on a transplant waiting list. After four years of anxiously waiting and unable to have a normal childhood – Emily received her life-saving liver transplant. Post-transplant, Emily has had a normal, healthy life -- both physically and mentally. Emily knows how lucky she has been. She knows how hard it is to grow up as a sick kid, but she says it was a little easier, knowing she was always surrounded by love and support. Emily says: For transplant patients, typically, the focus revolves around immediate medical needs, but the impact on their lives often runs much deeper, affecting them on mental, emotional, social, and spiritual levels. Emily wants to make sure that those affected by liver disease – and their families – have access to the resources, education, and support services that helped Emily and her family navigate her illness, transplant, and recovery. We’re working hard to ensure everyone in the U.S. can access screening for liver disease and find out if they’re at risk. We also created the first-ever American Liver Foundation Patient Registry for all types of liver disease, including transplant, which provides researchers with a better understanding of liver diseases and the effect of current treatments. Our latest initiative – to be unveiled soon – is the first non-directed Living Donor Liver Registry in the nation. It will allow donors to register, matches to be made, and give patients waiting for a transplant a second chance at life! It’s a tool that’s certain to be a game-changer – and a life-saver! Right now, over 10,000 people are waiting for a liver transplant. They are waiting anxiously, uncertain of their future. You can provide the support and hope liver disease patients need during what may be the most challenging period of their lives. Please make a generous contribution today: https://alf.social/eoyt. People like Emily appreciate your support. You're their good luck charm.

On behalf of the entire American Liver Foundation (ALF) family, we express our deepest condolences to the family of long time ALF visionary and leader, Susan Sherman Stone, who passed away from primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), an autoimmune liver disease, and complications from other medical challenges. Susan joined ALF more than three decades ago as an avid volunteer with the New England Division. She then went on to become a member of ALF’s national board of directors where she took on the role of treasurer and chair of the investment committee. She also served on our executive and finance committees. Susan was a staunch advocate for research and education and a generous supporter of ALF’s mission. The Susan Stone PBC Fund for the Cure Research Award was established in her honor. “Susan was such an independent woman—bright, smart, articulate, and passionate about helping others facing liver disease. We lost a good friend, and my heart goes out to her beloved husband Joe, and their entire family,” said Michael Kerr, emeritus member of ALF’s national board and executive committees, and chair of the finance committee. Susan was a devoted wife to husband, Joe, and loving mother to sons, Jamie and Ethan, and three grandchildren. May the cherished memories of Susan’s life bring comfort to her entire family.