Wayne
Location: Tennessee
Year diagnosed with PBC: 1992
My name is Wayne. I live with my wife, Elaine. Between the 2 of us, we have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. I’m an electrical engineer in the Memphis area, and I like to show dogs on the weekends.
Interview conducted in August 2017.
This is my story.
Being a male with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is rare; only about 10% of people with PBC are male, but both my father and I were diagnosed with the condition. My father was diagnosed right after I got married to my wife, Elaine. A few years later, I applied for more life insurance and a liver test revealed that I also had PBC.
“When I attended my first meeting with the support group for PBC, I walked into the room to probably 15 people sitting around a table. That was the first time that I had ever seen anyone besides my father who had PBC.”— Wayne
Though my father has since passed, I am still proactive about connecting with those with PBC. My wife and I belong to a liver support group in the Memphis area. The members have a common hepatologist who helped us to found the group. Our main goal is to educate the public and other people who have been diagnosed, and point people in the direction of help. Eventually, we'd like to expand out of Tennessee and reach more areas of the country and even other countries where people with liver diseases are underserved.
“My primary care physician takes care of my wife and I very well. He is very conscientious about our health. He actually takes time to call us after business hours to tell us if there is something wrong, [or] actually if there's something right.”— Wayne
In between support group meetings, I like to stay on top of my care for PBC. I see our family physician every 6 months or so. My hepatologist is great, too. He looks at all the possibilities, keeps my tests up to date, and guides me through treatment. If I met somebody who was just diagnosed with PBC, I would tell him or her to see a hepatologist and to follow his or her instructions to get the most out of treatment.
Right now, I’m doing everything I can to stay on top of my health. With my wife’s support, I’m living life to the fullest and doing the things we love to do.
All participating parties, including patients, physicians, and experts, were compensated by ICPT.