Steve Garcia has been competitively racing motor bikes for four years.
"It's a rush. It's a lot of fun," he said.
But racing became less enjoyable when he began suffering stomach pain. He thought it was his gall bladder, but tests showed otherwise.
"They're like, man you have a lot of the fat content of an obese person in your liver, and obviously, that's an issue that leads to scarring, and they talk about cirrhosis," Garcia explained.
Garcia was diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH.
Dr. John Vierling, professor of surgery at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, said the disease is caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. It's a leading cause of cirrhosis, affecting 20 million Americans.
"Now, those are very frightening numbers, especially if we look at, what would be the consequence of people with NASH going to cirrhosis and ultimately needing a liver transplant," Vierling said.
There are no medical treatments for NASH, but a new breakthrough drug could change that. Made from a modified bile acid, the drug helps reduce fat and inflammation in the liver.
"Get rid of the fat, get rid of the inflammation and you quiet the disease," Vierling said.
Results from an earlier trial were so good it was stopped early and is now ready for phase three.
"You've always kind of heard that there's nothing you can do about cirrhosis, so it's definitely good they are looking into this kind of stuff," Garcia said.
This is news that's giving Garcia and his fiancée hope for the future.
Vierling also said there's a natural way to control NASH. It's linked to obesity. By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, you can have an enormous impact on the liver.
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