Beth Lehman wants people to stop whispering about the stigma of alcohol-related liver disease, and she has been one of the first to raise the volume of the conversation.
Lehman, a Sandy Springs resident who received a liver transplant in 2021 when hers failed after decades of alcohol abuse, said there were virtually no support groups for people in situations like hers. She is changing that paradigm through grassroots efforts and partnerships with national organizations.
Credit: Beth Lehman
Credit: Beth Lehman
Her efforts include serving as the event chair of the third annual Liver Life Walk Atlanta that was held in May at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. A signature event of the American Liver Foundation, its goal is to bring together people affected by liver disease to raise awareness and funds while supporting one another in a festive, inspiring environment.
The first walk garnered about $8,000 with 35 participants and the second raised $25,000 with 120 people registered. This year, the event brought in $42,000 with more than 100 participants.
It had been a long road for Lehman and her husband, Tony. She was close to death in 2021 as liver cirrhosis directly related to her alcohol abuse rendered her unable to care for herself.
Lehman was on the transplant list and had been sober for months in preparation for the operation, but in the interim, cancerous tumors were found in her liver. That led to an extended treatment period that weakened her already frail system. Add in other health-threatening conditions like a fractured tailbone, bleeding esophageal veins and an umbilical hernia, and the hope for a lifesaving liver transplant seemed like a distant dream.
On April 18, 2021, Lehman’s parents came to visit and help her plan her funeral. Two hours later, she received the call that a suitable donor had been located and that her transplant was a “go.”
Now, more than three years later, Lehman is the healthiest she has ever been and eager to speak out about alcohol-related liver disease.
“I took about a year to think about it, and then I thought, ‘If I am going to tell my story, it’s going to be no-holds-barred,’” she said. “I wanted to tell people before the whispering started – that I am an alcoholic – and that there is hope for people who are in the same boat.”
Aside from speaking at conferences on a local and national level, she has also helped create a new organization called Sober Livers that provides resources and support group meetings specifically for those suffering from alcohol-associated liver disease. The meetings, called Healing Ourselves with Peers and Education (HOPE), are held virtually every second Tuesday.
Lehman said she doesn’t mind airing what she calls her “dirty laundry” because she represents a silent group of people who feel shamed by the stigma associated with their addiction and resultant disease.
“I’m doing it so they don’t have to,” she said.
HOW TO HELP
To learn more about Sober Livers, go to soberlivers.org. If you or someone you know needs support, you can register for the virtual meetings.
To donate to the American Liver Foundation, go to liverfoundation.org.
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