Preventable Loss of an Older Brother From Hepatitis B Related Liver Cancer

StephenW

Preventable Loss of an Older Brother From Hepatitis B Related Liver Cancer                                                                                        Posted on February 1, 2013 by hepbtalk| 2 Comments                                                                                       
                                                                                       

John Moon with his older brother Dan

John Moon’s brother, Dan, had no idea he had chronic hepatitis B, until he was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer.
- A Personal Story by John Moon
A frantic call from my sister-in-law shattered what would have otherwise been an enjoyable Labor Day weekend in 2010. She anxiously told me that my brother, Dan, would be undergoing an emergency procedure on his liver.
Dan had gone to the ER because of acute abdominal pain, which had been bothering him, along with nausea, for the past several months. This time, the doctors finally took an X-ray and found a large lump in his liver. Ultimately, they decided not to operate, but to wait until after Labor Day to conduct more extensive tests.
This was the beginning of the most heart-wrenching six months for our family.
On Tuesday, the doctors informed us of the worst: Dan had stage four liver cancer that was inoperable. He had about six months to a year to live. The news
was devastating and totally unexpected, since Dan was an otherwise very healthy 47-year-old architect, avid skier, husband, and father of an 18-year-old son.
We had no idea he had chronic hepatitis B, which the doctors explained was the likely cause of his cancer. The next six months for our family were a blur of raw emotions, anguish, false hopes followed by deeper disappointment, and an outpouring of love. It was hardest for my parents, who had immigrated to the United States 37 years ago from Korea to give their children a better life.
For me, it was the most intense period of my life as I saw the older brother whom I loved—the one who taught me how to ride a bike, who always gave me thoughtful Christmas gifts, and so many other fond memories—physically deteriorate so quickly. Yet he fought on and remained optimistic for us during that excruciating period.
On March 6, 2011, Dan passed away surrounded by our loving family.
Naturally, my thoughts went to how his death could have been prevented. The more I found out about the lack of public awareness of hepatitis B, the more anguished I became knowing that Dan’s death could have been delayed or prevented.
There was a total lack of awareness by both Dan’s physicians and our family. Dan had had regular physical examina- tions during his 40s, but had never been tested for hepatitis B, although we were in a high-risk category because we had immigrated from Korea.
Dan had developed the classic symptoms of liver disease (fatigue, lack of appetite, abdominal pain) as early as nine months previously. Yet his doctors misdiagnosed him, even though these were telltale symptoms and he was in a high-risk category. Our family also did not know of our high-risk status, so we could not be effective patient advocates.
As a result, I have taken an active role to improve public awareness and knowledge of this devastating disease. I share our family’s story with the hope that through greater awareness among the physician and Asian Pacific Islander communities, those at risk may be better diagnosed and have better access to preventive treatment.
Through this, I hope that the loss of my brother could have some redemptive value so that other families do not have to experience this tragedy.


                                                                                       
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