Dr. Francis Ho Medical Honouree: Dr. Peter Kwan

Dr. Peter Kwan is a respected gastroenterologist and liver specialist in Vancouver. He has advocated for patients with chronic hepatitis B and other liver diseases for decades. He works tirelessly to educate and raise awareness of liver disease in the community and has been featured in both mainstream, Chinese and other ethnic media on innumerable occasions. He has provided many Continuing Medical Education (CME) lectures to physicians and many lectures to the public on behalf of the CLF and has been instrumental in spearheading the CLF funded HepBeware and Liver Beware Project that are both public health initiative/community research project for hepatitis B and fatty liver disease. Dr. Kwan has been an educator and a speaker at numerous community events, including CLF’s LIVERight Health forums over the years and has contributed to written articles for the LIVERight Gala program books.

Patient Honoree: The Ayuen Family

Matthew is one of the very few people who can say that both his mother and father have given him life. His mother, Ghislaine, at birth and his father, Richard, donated 71% of his liver to him when he was 16 years old when the family was told that Matthew had only 6 months to live due to a rare form of liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) that has no cure yet. Matthew survived his first liver transplant. However, 3 years later, Matthew's liver failed again. He urgently needed a liver. Due to the love of another family and the unselfish act of a dying person. Matthew, received for the second time another lease on life. The family's journey with liver disease demonstrates the power of courage, survivorship, faith, and, most of all, hope. For the millions of Canadians who are going through their liver disease journey, Matthew and his family’s liver journey is a true testament to how strength, perseverance and gratitude, along with the advanced treatments that brought forth by the investment of research, education, patient support and advocacy will overcome the challenges that liver disease endures.