Episode One
This opening episode pulls back the curtain on what alcohol-associated liver disease really looks like inside the clinic. Specialist clinician Elizabeth Lee and host Vanessa Wojtala explore how liver disease shows up, how easily it is missed, and why answers often come too late.
- Guest: Elizabeth LEE
- Episode : One
- 30 min
- Liver Conditions
- GUEST: Elizabeth Lee
- Episode One
- 30 min
- Liver Conditions
Listen On :
Episode One: Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease with
Elizabeth Lee
In this first episode of the Mind Your Liver Podcast™, specialist clinician Elizabeth Lee joins the conversation to offer an inside look at what alcohol-associated liver disease care can involve when a young adult enters a liver clinic. The conversation focuses on how liver disease often progresses quietly, what patients may experience early on, and how gaps in recognition can affect the path to diagnosis and care.
About This Episode
Drawing from her clinical experience, Elizabeth Lee discusses alcohol-associated liver disease, commonly missed early symptoms, and the realities of caring for patients with advanced liver disease. The conversation reflects on how stigma, shame, and delayed recognition can influence patient experiences and clinical outcomes.
Hosted by Vanessa Wojtala, founder of the Liver Awareness Foundation, the episode centers on reflections from Vanessa’s lived experience with alcohol-associated liver disease. The episode offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on liver care, emphasizing compassion, awareness, and the importance of earlier recognition.
Disclosure & Medical Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Content shared is not a substitute for professional medical care. Always consult your own healthcare provider regarding medical decisions.
Vanessa Wojtala has provided full consent for Elizabeth Lee to discuss her liver history for educational purposes. Elizabeth Lee previously provided clinical care to Vanessa Wojtala. Vanessa’s care was transferred to another provider in December 2024.
Elizabeth Lee currently serves as Vice President of the Liver Awareness Foundation, providing clinical insight and advisory support to its education and advocacy work.
Views expressed by guests are their own.
Episode Photos
These images reflect moments from Vanessa’s life before and after liver failure. They are shared to show how liver disease can exist quietly, progress unseen, and then suddenly become impossible to ignore.
On the left, Vanessa on vacation, active, functioning, and without obvious symptoms. On the right, her body weeks later, swollen with ascites, a visible sign of advanced liver failure. This contrast captures how liver disease can move fast, often without warning, and why symptoms are so often missed until they become severe.
MIND YOUR LIVER. IT NEEDS YOU.™
A Call for the Community
Everyone carries something through life. Emotional distress, questions, coping habits, moments we do not always have words for.
This is a space for honest conversations about emotional distress, alcohol use, overeating, metabolic health, and the ways these patterns can quietly shape liver health.
If you have something to share, ask, or finally say out loud, you are in the right place.