Baseball legend Bernie Williams teamed up with groups that fight liver cancer to launch One Liver to Love, an initiative to raise awareness about liver cancer and emphasize the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices that support liver health.

Developed in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Eisai, the Global Liver Institute and the liver cancer association Blue Faery, One Liver to Love will provide educational resources, advocacy support services and community for anyone affected by the disease. As part of the initiative, Williams will join online conversations surrounding liver health and liver cancer.

Bernie Williams raises liver cancer awareness in the One Liver to Love campaign.

The campaign’s logoCourtesy of OneLivertoLove.com

“Liver disease is personal to me. It has impacted my mom, my uncle and my grandfather, and I’ve seen firsthand the difficulties and feelings that come with it," Williams said in a news release. “Liver disease and liver cancer can disproportionately impact communities of color, so I’m glad to go to bat for the One Liver to Love initiative to encourage others to be proactive when it comes to liver health and help those affected by liver cancer feel seen and supported.”

Since 1980, rates of liver cancer—including hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer—have nearly tripled, and over 40,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2022, according to the press statement.

One Liver to Love aims to provide support to people throughout their experience with liver cancer. It also emphasizes the impact daily lifestyle changes, including nutrition, exercise, sleep and mental health, can have on liver health.

“Navigating liver cancer can be challenging. Being proactive when it comes to liver health is important for one’s physical, mental and emotional well-being,” Andrea Wilson Woods, president of Blue Faery, said. “That’s why it’s especially critical to reach this community with resources to explore treatment options and determine the diet, exercise and lifestyle choices that may be best for each individual.”

Emphasizing how helpful it can be to lean on others, Global Liver Institute president and CEO Donna Cryer said, “While it can be difficult to ask for and accept support, we are stronger when we come together as a community. Whether you or a loved one are living with liver cancer, we can all rally together to start a new era of understanding and support.”

To read a collection of related Cancer Health articles, click #Liver Cancer. You’ll find articles like “NIH Scientists Develop Blood Test to Help Improve Liver Cancer Screening” and “The Causes of Liver Cancer Are Changing,” which highlights the growing importance of fatty liver disease and alcohol in the development of liver cancer.