30 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • MARCH 1, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Giving a voice to caregivers &
patients fi ghting liver cancer
Like many people, you are likely aware
of the term “liver cancer” and may have
some perceptions of this disease, but
you may have less information than you
think. Chances are, though, you have
never heard of hepatocellular carcinoma
(HCC), even though it’s the most common
type of liver cancer and the fastest
growing cause of cancer death in the
United States.
Andrea Wilson was in a similar situation
when her younger sister Adrienne
was diagnosed with HCC. Once Andrea
understood more about this devastating
disease, she made it her mission to tell
Adrienne’s story and to help others who
suff er from this cancer.
More than sisters
Andrea and Adrienne shared an inseparable
bond. As Adrienne’s legal guardian,
Andrea was both Adrienne’s parent
and sister.
“Adrienne was simply the best-my
everything,” said Andrea, president and
founder of Blue Faery: Th e Adrienne
Wilson Liver Cancer Association, a leading
liver cancer advocacy group. “She
taught me the true meaning of unconditional
love.”
One day, Adrienne felt severe pain in
her right side. Six hours later, an ER doctor
told Andrea and Adrienne she had
tumors in her liver and lungs. Within two
days, Adrienne was diagnosed with stage
IV HCC.
“Our lives changed forever when we
heard those eight words, ‘She has tumors
in her liver and lungs,’” Andrea said. From
the time she felt the pain in her side to the
moment she died, Adrienne lived 147 days.
Raising awareness
According to a survey fi elded by Bristol-
Myers Squibb Company, in collaboration
with Blue Faery, nearly half (47%) of people
who care for someone with advanced
stage liver cancer said they were aware of
liver cancer but not very knowledgeable.4
In fact, Andrea never would have expected
that Adrienne could have been at risk
of developing the disease. Before that day,
she believed heavy alcohol use was the
only cause of this cancer.
She isn’t alone.
Many caregivers (43%) of patients with
advanced stage disease did not think their
loved one was at risk. One of the reasons
may be that many of these people (72%),
like Andrea, believed that heavy alcohol
use was the most common risk factor for
liver cancer. In reality, chronic infection
with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatitis
C virus (HCV) is the most common risk
factor for liver cancer.
Caregivers may also face the challenge
of making critical treatment decisions
with their loved one. However, more than
half of caregivers of people with advanced
stage liver cancer surveyed (58%) admit
it’s hard to understand what treatment
options are available for their loved one.
Nearly all of these caregivers (95%) believe
more information needs to be available
about diff erent types of liver cancer treatment
options and/or areas of research,
and eight in 10(82%) wish they knew
where to go to fi nd this information.
Making this type of information available
became Andrea’s mission when she
founded Blue Faery to support people
aff ected by primary liver cancer, specifi -
cally HCC.
Additionally, according to the caregivers
surveyed, 90% wish there were more
public awareness of the seriousness of
a liver cancer diagnosis, and 77% think
liver cancer doesn’t get as much attention
as other cancers.
To address the needs these caregivers
identifi ed in the survey, Bristol-Myers
Squibb and Blue Faery have launched
LiverCancerOutlook.com, a website
off ering information about liver cancer
and providing links to additional resources
for patients and caregivers.
“Before Adrienne passed away, she said
that cancer added to the story of her life.
She believed it contributed to her character
and sense of humor,” Andrea said. “I
could not save Adrienne from liver cancer,
but I have made it my mission to
tell her story and to help others suff ering
from this devastating disease.”
For more information, or to share with
a loved one, visit LiverCancerOutlook.
com.
Blue Faery was compensated by Bristol-
Myers Squibb for its time spent as an advisor
on the Liver Cancer Outlook Survey
and related content. Bristol-Myers Squibb
does not endorse and is not responsible
for information provided by third-party
organizations.
Courtesy BPT