\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBrandi Glanville Gives a Close-Up Look at the Parasite ‘Moving’ in Her Face via Ultrasound\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tHepatitis C is a viral liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It\u2019s spread through contact with infected blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAnderson has stated in the past that she contracted the virus by sharing tattoo needles with her ex-husband, M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce drummer Tommy Lee<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tMost people with hepatitis C are asymptomatic; they don\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>, hep C is one of the most common types of viral hepatitis in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAnderson said her immediate concern was raising her two young sons<\/a>, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger. She shares both boys with Lee.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children<\/a>,\u201d Anderson told the gala audience. \u201cIt turned my life inside out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tShe admitted that the diagnosis \u201ccolored and corrupted\u201d her decisions during that time. Facing a 10-year timeline forced her to confront the very real possibility of leaving her children behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAnderson 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<\/a>. That same year, Anderson announced the happy news that she was officially hepatitis C-free.<\/p>\n \u201cI am CURED!!! \u2013 I just found out #nomorehepc #thankyou #blessing #family #prayer #live,\u201d Anderson shared in a now-deleted Instagram post. \u201cI 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\u2026#dontlosehope.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTwenty-something years later, she\u2019s now on the other side of that long health battle and refuses to let the illness define her story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m not a victim; I\u2019m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"WEST](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tWhat Is Hepatitis C?\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tA Mother\u2019s First Thought\u00a0\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tRefusing to Play the Victim\t<\/h2>\n