Liver disease survivor wants everyone to get tested

An Ottawa man wants to spread the word that of the roughly 100 liver diseases that can strike, only one is alcohol-related, and that a simple blood test has the potential to save lives.

Back in 1988, Robert Morin was a student at Algonquin College without any health problems.

"It started off as a regular day in college, and as the day progressed, I started feeling needle pains in my body, especially in the abdomen area," Morin told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday.

"It got to the point where my muscles were not working too well, and I actually struggled to get home from Algonquin College, to take the bus and get home. And then I called my parents to say, 'I think there's something wrong with me.'"

His father brought him to their family doctor, who took a blood sample.

"And just with one blood test, they knew I had a serious liver problem," he said.

'A very silent killer'

Further tests showed Morin has autoimmune hepatitis, a chronic disease that causes the body's immune system to attack liver cells. About 83 per cent of the people who get it are women, and it doesn't have anything to do with drinking alcohol.

Doctors considered a transplant at the time, but a specialist in Toronto advised that Morin would live well for years with medication alone. It wasn't until 2009, when Morin was 44 years old, that his liver started to fail and he began the process of getting a transplant. He underwent the surgery just a year later.

"For me, liver disease is actually a bit like cancer. At the beginning, it's a very silent killer. Your liver is a very strong organ, the most powerful one in your body — it actually regenerates itself when you abuse it a little bit, for example with alcohol. But ... there's about 100 different kinds of liver diseases, and only one is caused by alcohol abuse," he said.

"The easiest thing to do is when you go for your annual checkup, and usually if your family doctor draws some blood, ask them to check your liver enzymes, just to see if they're normal. It's a simple blood test."

To help raise awareness, Morin is taking part in the Canadian Liver Foundation's Stroll for Liver on June 9 at Vincent Massey Park on Heron Road.