LIVER STARS
Hi, I'm
Molly Clark
I'm twelve years old and I was born with Biliary Atresia. I want to raise awareness of liver disease, so no more babies need to suffer from this disease.
Basketball lover, Star Student, Charismatic Liver Disease Advocate, the story of Molly Clark:
“My liver disease isn’t a disease for me, it’s just me. I’m very positive and optimistic. I think of the glass as half full, I mean at least I still have a half a drink left.” Molly Clark
Molly was born December 30, 2009, and appeared to be a healthy baby. My husband and I were thrilled to have a gorgeous baby girl. Our little family’s hopes and dreams were coming true. But twenty-four hours after she was born, jaundice set in, and our happiness turned into worry. While jaundice is fairly normal in newborns and very treatable, Molly's jaundice was more serious and life-threatening. As her pediatrician checked her bilirubin every few hours, he took note that her liver was not processing and passing the bilirubin as it should. This discovery landed her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and started the long ordeal of discovering what was wrong with her and how to save our precious baby girl.
Hi, I'm
Alyssa McCarty
I'm fourteen years old and I was diagnosed with Auto Immune Hepatitis when I was eleven.
My Story
Let me introduce myself. I am Alyssa and I have auto-immune hepatitis. I am thirteen years old and one of my favorite hobbies is acting. I also play volleyball. My liver disease journey started in 2019 when I was getting a routine blood work done for my annual physical. When my doctor received the results of my test it revealed that my liver enzyme levels were slightly elevated. I had no idea what was happening to my body or what any of the things I was being told meant. I felt so confused and worried that something was very wrong with my body. We debated on whether this could be because I was becoming healthier in terms of diet and exercise, or if this could be something more alarming and dangerous. I started off by getting an ultrasound to see if the doctors could see signs of liver damage or liver disease. Following the ultrasound, I had many blood tests done to constantly check the level of my liver enzymes. I officially became a liver patient and began visiting my gastroenterologist, Dr. Grant, at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in April of 2019.
In November of 2019, my doctor ordered a biopsy of the liver. Hearing the word biopsy and not knowing what the procedure was, frightened me. I didn’t feel sick and was carrying on my normal everyday life. After almost a year of not knowing what my liver was going through, I was anxious to understand more. I was more than ready for my biopsy and it was scheduled for January 2020.