January/February Newsletter
19 Feb 2026 |
Hepatic Headlines
Texas Liver Foundation
Monthly Newsletter
January/February 2026
What’s New At TLF?
We’re up to some fun things at TLF! We just wrapped up our first living liver donor webinar in partnership with UT Southwestern Medical Center and American Liver Foundation. The webinar, Living Liver Donation 101: What to Expect, What to Ask, and What No One Tells You, had an amazing online turnout and can now be found on our YouTube channel and our website. Stay tuned for part 2 of our Living Donor series!
We are OFFICIALLY ready to kick off the 5th Annual Texas Liver Walk! Registration is now open for 5 Years of Liver Love. This year’s walk will be The Waterworks at Buffalo Bayou Park on Saturday, April 11, from 9:30am-11:00am. This is sure to be our best and most fun walk yet! Register or donate today by clicking the button below!
Story Of The Month
Seven Miracles for Shane
As I share my story, I want to dedicate it to my family, my friends, my parish, and everyone who spent time praying for me. This is not a story I’m proud of in how I got here, but I am proud to share it if it can help save, assist, or create belief and hope for someone else. I am living proof that prayers are answered. Thank you all.
In March 2024, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver after many years of heavy drinking. My medical providers assured me that as long as I quit drinking, I would be okay. I quit immediately.
Looking back, the warning signs were there. I just ignored them. (Always listen to your doctor.)
Fast forward to late June 2025. After more than a year of feeling great, exercising, and strengthening my faith, my health suddenly took a turn. While on a trip to California, I began to swell in my abdomen and developed a hernia. I called my medical providers and scheduled an appointment as soon as I returned home.
During that visit, a simple question changed everything:
“Do you think you would want to see a liver specialist?”
My first reaction was no. I felt confident in the care I was receiving. After all, I had quit drinking. I was supposed to be okay. Anne, my life partner, felt differently. She immediately said, “Yes, that is what we need to do.”
Miracle one.
I called the specialist’s office the next day. After leaving a voicemail, I received a call back from Dr. Joseph Galati’s office by the end of the following day. They had a rare and unusual cancellation and offered me an appointment just two days later — July 15, 2025. The next available appointment would have been at the end of September.
Miracle two.
At that first visit, I heard a term I had never heard before: MELD score — Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. The scale runs from 6 (lower risk of death) to 40 (highest risk). When my bloodwork came back, my MELD score was 30.
Thirty.
How could I be this close to death when I felt strong and in good shape? That question haunted me. Based on that score, I was immediately scheduled to begin the liver transplant evaluation process. In August 2025, after a routine weekly blood test, my sodium levels dropped dangerously low, and I was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital to prevent slipping into a coma. Because of the urgency, they completed my transplant evaluation during that hospital stay instead of waiting until September as originally planned.
Miracle three.
Insurance approvals can cause delays, but on September 11, 2025, I was approved and placed as active on the liver transplant list. Then on September 20, the call came: a liver was available, and transplant was scheduled for September 22. Many people wait months or years.
Miracle four.
When that call came, Anne was in California and actually received it. I was home sick with what I thought was a stomach bug. When she returned, she realized I was much sicker than I had admitted. The transplant team told us to come in anyway for evaluation. After testing, I learned I had become septic. I had to pass on that liver and was placed inactive on the transplant list.
Miracle five.
That liver was not meant for me. God had another plan — another liver He was preparing.
The next two weeks were filled with extreme pain, heavy medication, and strong antibiotics. Once doctors determined I was stable, I was reactivated on October 1, 2025.
Miracle six.
On October 6, 2025, I received my second chance at life. The surgery lasted approximately eight hours the first day and four hours the second.
Miracle seven.
Today, I consider myself a walking miracle.
Every morning, I see the scar from my transplant — shaped almost like an upside-down Mercedes-Benz symbol — and I’m reminded that this is where God marked my life with His blessing.
Looking back, I see how every detail unfolded perfectly. A year and a half before my transplant, God gave me the strength to get up every morning and walk on the treadmill, preparing my body for recovery before I even knew I would need it. He opened doors that shouldn’t have opened — like the July appointment that wasn’t supposed to be available. He placed the right specialists in my life at exactly the right time.
He restored relationships. He orchestrated timing. Insurance approvals that could have taken much longer moved in His perfect plan. He placed me in the hospital when necessary so I would encounter the right providers — even a nurse practitioner from my hometown who graduated high school with my sister. None of it was coincidence.
God blessed me with extraordinary surgeons, nurses, doctors, and caregivers — people who became His hands here on earth. He surrounded me with family, friends, and a loving parish community who carried me through. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Whatever you are holding on to — whatever you are stressing about, whatever negative thoughts fill your mind — remember: God is in control. Let go and let God.
SWAP of the Month
February SWAP: Nature’s Sour Patch Kids
My son and I were recently perusing the produce section at our local grocery store when he noticed a tamarind shell and wanted to see what was inside of this mysterious find. Never being one to turn down the opportunity to expose him to a new food or flavor, I wanted to give it a try with him. What we found was a delightful flavor and texture, akin to a candy like to sour patch kids. While not everyone loves sour candy, those who do may appreciate a healthier version. This month’s SWAP is for all of you sour savoring sweethearts.
We found this recipe, and hope that it helps some of you satisfy your next craving for sour, sweet, sticky goodness.
Ingredients
- A box of fresh tamarind pods or use 20 pods
- 1 tablespoon of rum essenceoptional
- ¼ cup of coconut sugar or raw cane sugar
- Additional sugar for dusting – I used sukrin gold and stevia or raw cane sugar works too! optional
Directions
- Use your hands to de-shell the tamarind then place the flesh in a medium sized bowl.
- Discard the stem and shell pieces once the tamarind has been shelled
- Add the coconut sugar, rum essence and any other additional ingredients you choose to use i.e black pepper, hot sauce etc..
- Use your hands to mould the tamarind into a large ball (use gloves as it might be sticky) and prepare a plate with a layer of sugar for dusting.
- Break off small pieces of tamarind to form balls then roll into the sugar
- Repeat this step until all the balls have been made
Tried this SWAP and loved (or hated) it? Have an idea for a SWAP that you’d like us to try? We’d love to hearabout it!
HEP Happenings
Hep Happenings: Good News for Living Organ Donors
There’s encouraging news in the transplant community.
The bipartisan Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act was recently signed into law, expanding federal support for living organ donors. This new law removes income-based restrictions that previously prevented many donors from receiving reimbursement for expenses like lost wages, travel, and caregiver support during the donation process.
Until now, eligibility for federal reimbursement was based on the recipient’s income — meaning many donors were left to shoulder thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. In fact, about 91% of living donors received no financial assistance because of these restrictions.
The HOLD Act changes that.
By eliminating those income limits, more living donors will now qualify for financial support — reducing barriers and making it easier for people to say “yes” to saving a life.
For the more than 9,000 Americans waiting for a liver transplant, this law represents hope — hope that fewer financial barriers will mean more donors and more second chances at life.
This is a meaningful step forward in supporting donors and strengthening the transplant system.
Learn more here.
FACT OF THE MONTH
The liver creates blood during fetal development.