In 2002, Pamela Anderson received a terrifying diagnosis: hepatitis C. Now, she’s speaking out about the once incurable disease.
The 59-year-old actress accepted the Award of Courage at the amfAR Gala in Venice on Sept. 6 and shared new details about that heavy chapter in her life in an emotional speech.
“It was a death sentence,” Anderson said, per People. “That’s what my doctor told me — that I probably had around 10 years to live.”
Related story
Brandi Glanville Gives a Close-Up Look at the Parasite ‘Moving’ in Her Face via Ultrasound
What Is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a viral liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It’s spread through contact with infected blood.
Anderson has stated in the past that she contracted the virus by sharing tattoo needles with her ex-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.
Most people with hepatitis C are asymptomatic; they don’t look or feel sick and can often go years without showing any symptoms. If left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause severe health problems like liver damage, liver cancer, and even death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hep C is one of the most common types of viral hepatitis in the U.S.
A Mother’s First Thought
Anderson said her immediate concern was raising her two young sons, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger. She shares both boys with Lee.
“It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children,” Anderson told the gala audience. “It turned my life inside out.”
She admitted that the diagnosis “colored and corrupted” her decisions during that time. Facing a 10-year timeline forced her to confront the very real possibility of leaving her children behind.
Refusing to Play the Victim
Anderson spent everything she had in the bank on medical treatments. Then, in 2011, researchers made a breakthrough, using antiviral drugs to treat patients with a 97 percent success rate. That same year, Anderson announced the happy news that she was officially hepatitis C-free.
“I am CURED!!! – I just found out #nomorehepc #thankyou #blessing #family #prayer #live,” Anderson shared in a now-deleted Instagram post. “I pray anyone living with Hep C can qualify or afford treatment. It will be more available soon. I know treatment is hard to get still…#dontlosehope.”
Twenty-something years later, she’s now on the other side of that long health battle and refuses to let the illness define her story.
“I’m not a victim; I’m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of,” she said. “I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.”
