Beth Lehman wants people to stop whispering about the stigma of alcohol-related liver disease, and she wants to be 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 are virtually no support groups for people in situations like hers. She wants to change that through grassroots efforts and partnerships with national organizations.
Part of her efforts surround her duties as the event chair of the third annual Liver Life Walk Atlanta to be held on May 11 at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. A signature event of the American Liver Foundation (ALF), 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, she is hoping to raise more than $37,000 and wants participation to top 180.
It’s been a long road for Lehman and her husband, Tony, up to this point. 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 life-saving liver transplant that would save Lehman 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, 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.”
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.
Aside from speaking at conferences on a local and national level, she has also helped create a new organization called Sober Livers that will hold Zoom support group meetings specifically for those suffering from alcohol-associated liver disease.
All funds raised at the walk will go to the ALF. Individuals who raise $100 by April 11 will receive a commemorative 2024 Liver Life Walk t-shirt in their size.
The cost to walk is $20. Participants can register online before the event or onsite on May 11 at 9 a.m. The walk is 10 a.m. to noon. For details about donating or joining a team, go to liverlifewalk.org/atlanta.
