When people ask what Liver Cancer Awareness Month means to me, I’m often at a loss for words. (A rare occurrence!) I think to myself—only a month? That’s it? You see … when you lose the most important person in your life to a disease, you live with it every day. Even when you know you did the absolute best you could, you still think about what you could have done differently.

Price and Woods visit with Dr. Sarah Bauer. They discuss how diabetes is a risk factor for liver cancer that few people acknowledge and is rarely discussed among doctors and patients, Dr. Bauer provides an important story about her father in this conversation.

In this episode of OncoDaily, Andrea Wilson-Woods, the president and founder of Blue Faery, the Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association, shares her mission to prevent, treat, and cure primary liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Founded in memory of her sister Adrienne, who was diagnosed with HCC shortly after her 15th birthday and passed away 147 days later, the organization aims to address the rising incidence of liver cancer. Blue Faery offers free programs for HCC patients and families, along with an annual research award for innovative liver cancer research. For more information, visit BlueFaery.org.

Just as the weather is cooling down, things are heating up at Blue Faery. We’ve entered Hispanic Heritage Month, which means our second Love Your Liver event—in Spanish—is just around the corner. We also have another exciting panel for our The Truth About Liver Cancer (TTALC) program. This workshop’s topic is Unsung Heroes, the people who are often part of one’s healthcare team, but sometimes forgotten or not recognized as such. Scroll down for more details and registration links.

Want to be a panelist in our TTALC program? We’re seeking speakers for our November 23 workshop, specifically healthcare providers who treat cancer patients or patient advocates who support cancer patients in rural communities. (Your specialty doesn’t have to be liver cancer.) We are looking for physicians, nurses, PAs, social workers, therapists, and advocates. To better understand the format of the workshop, watch the replay of The Truth About Liver Cancer: Caregivers’ Corner on YouTube.

My sister’s book titled I’d Rather Be Dead Than Deaf is now available as an ebook! We’re giving away 100 Kindle copies in a Goodreads Giveaway. Enter today because the giveaway ends on September 30. Remember if you decide to buy a copy of the book, all proceeds go directly to Blue Faery.

On a recent Price of Business, Host Kevin Price and segment co-host Andrea Wilson Woods continued their series on fighting liver cancer. Their guest is Kara Klink, who brings a great example of fighting this disease with courage. She also provided a remarkable love story that must be heard.

Love Your Liver helps raise awareness about liver cancer risk factors in the Hispanic community, as they are 2.5 times as likely to develop the disease compared with White Americans. Due to the high prevalence of fatty liver disease in the community, liver cancer continues to be one of the most significant health issues that Hispanic Americans face. Besides the stigma of liver cancer and fatty liver disease, Hispanic Americans also face language and cultural barriers and lack culturally appropriate educational programs. Love Your Liver delivers culturally relevant education about liver cancer risk factors, liver cancer surveillance, and treatments while offering hope.

Have you ever wondered how the heartbreak of grief can become a catalyst for profound healing and personal transformation? In this poignant episode, I sit down with Andrea Wilson Woods, a remarkable woman who turned her devastating loss into a powerful force for change.

Andrea shares the heart-wrenching story of raising her younger sister, Adrienne, only to lose her to liver cancer at the tender age of 15. Andrea talks about how she turned her grief into a mission, becoming a patient advocate and founding the nonprofit Blue Faery. We delve into the deep emotional battles she faced, including the challenge and pain of writing a memoir that included her sister’s journal entries.

Transforming adversity and loss into a powerful force for change in cancer advocacy, we sit down with Andrea Wilson Wood, Founder of Blue Faery.

Andrea shares some powerful stories of overcoming personal and familial adversity, including childhood trauma, addiction, raising her sister, and the challenges of managing a serious illness. She reflects on her experiences with resilience and humor, especially through her sister Adrian’s battle with liver and lung cancer.

Despite still being sick*, I’m grateful I was able to meet Kay Anderson, a Blue Faery donor and liver cancer survivor, at The APPLE Meeting last month in Honolulu. The photo above is before the Friday night lūʻau, a traditional Hawaiian celebration that typically includes a feast, entertainment, and festivities. Though I never got over the jetlag, the conference was entertaining, interesting, and most importantly, educational. Meeting Kay was the highlight of the trip, and I feel fortunate I was able to spend time with her.

With summer almost in the rearview mirror, the fall promises lots of events and changes at Blue Faery. Be sure to check our The Truth About Liver Cancer (TTALC) workshop on Saturday, September 7, and the first Love Your Liver program for Hispanic Heritage Month on Monday, September 16.

Saturday’s National Non-Profit Day acknowledged the vital contributions of non-profit organizations to the nation and its economy through advocacy, resources, and education and prevention. 

In this episode, Gary sits down with writer and Liver Cancer Advocate Andrea Wilson-Woods. At the age of 22, Andrea took full-time custody of her 8-year-old sister, Adrienne, after their mother succumbed to addiction. She opened up about the challenges of raising her sister and the devastating diagnosis of stage 4 liver cancer that Adrienne received at the age of 15. Andrea also talks about her advocacy work through The Blue Fairy Foundation, which aims to prevent, treat, and cure primary liver cancer. She emphasizes the importance of patient education and self-advocacy in navigating the healthcare system.

As I sit here typing this newsletter on Wednesday morning, I’m battling a massive head cold. Despite taking a few hours off yesterday and on Friday (when it began), I’m not feeling much better. Thankfully, I tested negative for COVID-19, so it is just a cold that refuses to go away. However, I’m not letting a little bug stop me from attending the APPLE Meeting in Honolulu this week. I’m excited to meet one of Blue Faery’s long-time donors (in person) who resides in Hawaii as well as hear from other HCC experts about how they treat liver cancer in their countries.

In this first interview, they discussed how Sharon Dixon and her husband Jimmy made the difficult decision to choose hospice when treatment failed. Sharon Dixon is 60 years old. She lives in Peerless, Texas, which is a small rural community in Northeast Texas with her chi-weenie, Ollie, and two cats, Sassy & Chloe. She lost her beloved husband Jimmy to liver cancer (HCC) on October 27, 2022. She spends her time gardening and raising awareness about HCC.

This week Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Andrea Wilson Woods. The two talk about the importance of tapping into your zone of genius, surrounding yourself with the right people, and the impact being made by Blue Faery for liver cancer patients and doctors alike.

In this episode, we discuss:

How channeling grief was the catalyst that led her to begin a nonprofit 

The mission of Blue Faery, and where they are today

What challenges and obstacles she faced in building, and how long it took to gain traction

What transformation made a big difference in the impact that Blue Faery makes

Why it’s so important to tap into your zone of genius and surround yourself with the right people

What has surprised her on her journey as a leader

What tips she has to share for entrepreneurs who want to make an impact and start a nonprofit organization

Andrea shares the deeply personal story of her sister Adrienne's battle with liver cancer, which began when Adrienne was just a teenager. Andrea, who became her sister's primary caregiver, recounts the emotional and challenging journey they endured together.

At this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Andrea Wilson Woods, Founder of Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association, sat down to discuss Blue Faery, a nonprofit aimed to prevent, treat, and cure liver cancer, and how the use of education and research has helped Blue Faery with improving liver cancer care.