I recently suffered an immense loss. In the middle of January of this year, my mother experienced a sudden onset of peripheral edema and ascites. She tested negative for hepatitis B, but the doctors said that she had either liver cancer or severe cirrhosis. In the middle of February, a liver biopsy definitively diagnosed my mother as having hepatocellular carcinoma.
This time, her hepatitis B serology came back positive, but her virus levels were low and nonreplicative. By the beginning of April, to the dismay of my family and all those who knew her, my mother fell into hepatorenal syndrome. She died while I was holding her days afterward, only two months after the diagnosis and one month after her intended early retirement.
Being a medical student, I could not help but feel helpless as I watched my mother slip away. What disturbed me even more was how unknowledgeable my cousins and I, all of whom are most likely infected with the same virus, were on the topic. I am writing to you today because I would like to stop feeling helpless. I want to help educate my cousins, and other Asian Americans like us, about the risk that we face. Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if you could inform me of the services you provide, the resources you offer, and the projects you plan. Please let me know how I can best join your effort and become actively involved with your organization. Thank you.
Disclaimer: Immunize.org and VaccineInformation.org publish personal testimonies to make them available for our readers’ review. Please note that information in the testimonies may be outdated and may not reflect the current immunization schedule or recommendations. (Published: 4/19/1999)