November/December 2025 Newsletter
08 Dec 2025 |
Hepatic Headlines
Texas Liver Foundation
Monthly Newsletter
November/December 2025
What’s New At TLF?
As 2025 winds down, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the incredible impact you helped make possible this year. Together, our community brought liver health education, support, and early detection tools to people who needed them most.
Here’s a look at what we accomplished with you by our side:
Public Education & Outreach
We met with hundreds of Texans across the state to share life-saving information about liver health, disease prevention, and early signs to watch for. Every conversation makes a difference — and you helped make those conversations happen.
Liver Screenings
Thanks to our partners and supporters, nearly 100 people received free access to liver scans that many would not have been able to obtain otherwise.
Bravery Bags
We delivered hope, comfort, and practical support to liver patients all across Texas through our Bravery Bag program — a reminder that no one has to face their liver journey alone.
Pediatric Holiday Care Packages
This holiday season, 10 transplant kiddos will receive a special care package filled with love, comfort, and joy. These families have been through so much — and your support helps us lift their spirits.
Early Detection Information Campaign
One of our proudest milestones: 222 Early Detection Tool Packets were sent to every newborn nursery in Texas to help providers screen infants for cholestatic liver disease. Early detection saves lives — and this outreach has the potential to change countless futures.
Help Us Go Even Further
As the year comes to an end, and while inboxes everywhere are overflowing with End Of Year Appeals, we hope you’ll consider supporting our life-saving work.
Every dollar given this season goes directly into programming — expanding screenings, education, patient support, and early detection efforts in 2026.
If our mission has touched you…
If you believe in meeting people where they are…
If you want to make sure Texans have the knowledge and resources to protect their liver health…
Then we’d be honored to have your support.
Together, we can make next year even more transformative than the last.
Story Of The Month
Joe’s Journey From Crisis to Hope
This month, we are honored to share the incredible story of Joe Campos, a Houston-area liver transplant recipient whose journey reminds us how resilient the human spirit can be. Joe’s honesty, courage, and willingness to talk about the hardest moments of his life offer hope to others facing liver disease today. We are grateful to him for trusting us with his story.
Joe’s Story
Hello, my name is Joe Campos.
In 2018, I was told I had a fatty liver. I didn’t think much of it at first — I had always heard that “everyone” had a fatty liver and that it wasn’t a big deal. But after my biopsy, everything changed. I learned I had cirrhosis and was given five years to live.
Not long after, I began sleeping deeply for hours at a time as toxins built up in my body and affected my brain. With the help of my doctor, Dr. Joe Galati, we were able to get the toxins under control, but new symptoms kept appearing.
One of the worst was severe internal itching that left me unable to sleep and pushed me into some of the darkest moments of my life. The physical and emotional pain felt unbearable at times.
On February 20, 2020, when I was near the end of my life and doctors prepared to send me home on hospice, a miracle happened: a donor was found. I live in Houston, and my donor was from Dallas — a 44‑year-old whose life was cut short by high blood pressure. His gift saved mine.
Five and a half days after my transplant, I walked out of the hospital feeling like myself again. Just ten days later, I was hanging sheetrock — a testament to how incredible this second chance truly was.
My advice to anyone facing liver disease is simple: never give up, and keep your faith strong.
Thank you to the Texas Liver Foundation for allowing me to share my story.
Best wishes to all,
Joe
Joe’s story is a powerful reminder of how quickly liver disease can escalate — and how transformative the gift of organ donation can be. His honesty, strength, and willingness to speak openly about the hardest chapters of his life may help others feel less alone. Joe wrote a book about his journey that can be found here.
If you or someone you love is facing liver disease, please know that the Texas Liver Foundation is here to help you find guidance, support, and community. Be sure to join our monthly transplant support group to meet others just like Joe.
SWAP of the Month
December SWAP: Holiday Cookie Edition
The holiday season is full of sweet temptations, but that doesn’t mean your liver has to sit this one out. This month’s SWAP is all about trading overly sugary cookies for healthier, festive options that still satisfy your sweet tooth.
We found this Cinnamon Icebox Cookie recipe from EatingWell. Not only is it dietitian approved, it is also deliciously spiced AND only has 3 grams of sugar per cookie. An added bonus is that it pairs perfectly with coffee, which is not only good for holiday fatigue, but also good for your liver (just avoid the sugary creamers and flavored syrups).
Ingredients (makes about 80 cookies)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat 1/2 cup butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add 1½ cups of the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 10-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate.
- Wipe out the mixing bowl. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar with the mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the remaining egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour mixture and cinnamon, mixing until just combined. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 10-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- When the doughs are chilled, divide each log in half lengthwise. Working with 1 piece of vanilla dough and 1 piece of cinnamon dough, roll each into a long rope, about ½ inch thick. Place the ropes side-by-side, gently pressing the 2 doughs together. Fold in half, then twist once or twice and roll again into another log, about 1½ inches thick. Place pecans on a clean surface and roll the log in the nuts, pressing gently to adhere. Rewrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer. Repeat with the remaining dough and pecans. Freeze until the dough is firm, about 1 hour.
- Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with 1 log of dough at a time, unwrap and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, turning the dough after each slice and shaping the cookies, if necessary, to retain their shape. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips:
- You can freeze dough logs for up to 3 months and bake small batches as needed.
- At one cookie per serving, these cookies come in at about 59 calories, ~3 g fat, and ~6 g carbs — a modest indulgence compared to typical holiday cookies.
- Whether you’re baking for yourself, your family, or a gift exchange, small swaps like these can keep your liver happy while still letting you enjoy the season.
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 hear about it!
HEP Happenings
Big news in liver health! The FDA recently approved Wegovy (semaglutide) for people with non-cirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with fibrosis F2–F3. Wegovy is a GLP-1 therapy that helps reduce appetite, support weight loss, and improve metabolic health — all of which can benefit the liver.
Unlike Rezdiffra (resmetirom), which works directly in the liver to reduce fat and scarring, Wegovy works systemically, offering benefits for both overall metabolic health and liver inflammation.
While long-term MASH-specific data are still being collected, early results show significant improvement in liver inflammation and fibrosis for many patients. This approval means patients now have more tools and more hope. As always, lifestyle changes remain essential, and treatment should be guided by your liver specialist.
Learn more: Read the full study here
FACT OF THE MONTH
The liver has no pain receptors.