SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. — Kyrie Jewett, a 22-year-old woman from Shasta County, is in critical condition at California Pacific Medical Center Van Ness Campus in San Francisco, where she is on a ventilator and urgently awaiting a liver transplant. Her mother, Cheri Steffen, has been by her side at the hospital since Kyrie collapsed at work on May 14.
“I could’ve lost my daughter,” said Steffen, recalling the terrifying moment when Kyrie’s heart stopped a few days ago and she had to be revived with CPR. “That was when I was like… ‘I’m going to lose my baby girl,'” she said.
Kyrie’s condition, cirrhosis of the liver, is attributed to a diet high in junk food rather than alcohol or drug use. Her diagnosis underscores a growing concern about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is often linked to diets high in processed foods, saturated fats and sugar. The National Institutes of Health notes that NAFLD is now one of the leading causes of liver damage in young adults.
Steffen emphasized the importance of dietary awareness, urging parents and children to be cautious about their food choices. “Just watch what you eat,” she said. “It’s processed food. You’re not a superhero; you are not invisible. ‘It can’t happen to me’… that’s the thing, it can happen.”…