Child Abuse and Hepatitis C Fighting the Hepatitis C Stigma – I am a fighter.
I was born a healthy baby. My parents abused me in ways that were horrific, and I won’t go into details because it would serve no good. The lifelong damage tells the story. After suffering multiple burns, I ended up with a traumatic brain injury. While undergoing various medical procedures in the hospital, I contracted Hepatitis C, and was hospitalized until after my second birthday.
Child Abuse and Hepatitis C Fighting the Hepatitis C Stigma
Although I have no real memories of that time, the early damage helped shape my life a lot. The left side of my brain was permanently damaged, causing a lifetime of seizure disorder. While my body received good treatment in a lot of ways, my mind was also wounded. I have had to fight severe anxiety because of the physical and mental trauma. I am a fighter.
Soon after my 2nd birthday, I was adopted by a caring couple. I had a very kind and loving mother. My father drank and could be abusive when he had too much. I am a fighter.
I survived and went on to live my life
Years later when donating blood, I was told that I had the Hepatitis C Virus. I had lived with it all of my life with no symptoms. The doctors said that it was probably from one of my early surgeries when I was a little boy. It was early in the 90s, and not a lot was known about Hepatitis C or treatment for the disease at the time. They were using Interferon, but I was not offered treatment.
Now that I’ve grown older I want to tell my story. There are many misunderstandings about Hepatitis C. The negative stigma attached to it is a lot like the stigma for anyone who was abused as a child. A lot of people don’t want to know about those of us who suffer.
The Stigma
I want to reach as many people as possible to bring awareness. Awareness of how adults who were abused as children have to fight to survive. Awareness about how people get misunderstood because of Hepatitis C.
There is an epidemic in this country of Hepatitis C and many people do not even know they have it because there are often no symptoms. In my case there were no symptoms originally. I found out that I had this disease (like many people do) quite by accident. No one offered any explanation of the virus to me. It was not a well known diagnosis at the time. It was easy to pretty much ignore it. As a few years passed I went to a specialist. He told me that I was untreatable due to preexisting conditions from my childhood trauma.
Due to health problems, I have not been able to work for periods of my life. On a military base, I worked as a civilian. My balance is poor, and I am not able to walk without holding onto something. The application for SSI has been denied. My life story has been one of pain. It is also a story of a fighter. I hope that anyone reading this will know that they can find strength in themselves too. This is not the end of my story. I keep fighting.
Guest blog by John Strother
If you have felt judged for having Hepatitis C, please do not let it penetrate your life. Click here to read a blog and learn how to deal with stigma. You’re not alone.
pics via lacasacenter.org,
5 thoughts on “Child Abuse and Hepatitis C Fighting the Hepatitis C Stigma”
Thank you for sharing your story. I admire you for being so brave as to share.
Sharing is Caring.
I wish you the very best
Dorene
Thank you for sharing your story. Mine is quite similar, in that I was adopted from an orphanage and fought my Hep C battle for 18 years. Throughout that time I was stigmatized, run away from, made fun of, treated differently, and even had my abusive adopted father try to send me back to the orphanage. My Hep C was always a family secret because of the stigma that came with it. I was on 3 treatments (4, 13/14, 18) and have severe long term side effects from the lengthy use of interferon and ribavarin, especially as a child. Up until the exact day I cured, I had made myself a promise to never speak the words “Hepatitis” because it had been that ingrained in me of how monstrous this disease was. That word was worse that saying an awful swear word and I because mute to even being able to say it.
I am 24 years old now, and 5 years Hep C free. I am blessed to be alive and for the most part healthy. Growing up, and battling my entire life, there was never any support groups, people talking about it, or understanding. I admire you for sharing your story and am so happy to see support online today.
Wishing you the very best,
Lena
Lena,
Thank you so much for sharing your triumphant story. I would love to buy you a cup of coffee and just listen and watch your face as you tell of your stages of mental, emotional, and physical health. My grandmother grew up in an orphanage, and I know she was one of the strongest women I ever knew. Not perfect, by able to overcome. I credit her with many of the attitudes that helped shape me as a child.
I’m so thankful that you are alive. Would you be willing to write your story for me and allow me to edit it for publishing here? If not, I understand. It’s a powerful one and I feel privileged that you shared even a portion of it here.
Please stay in touch and much Love at Christmas,
xo Karen
Somebody who is attempting to be level-headed is frequently attempting to figure out further profound problems and is endeavoring to fix long stretches of routine way of behaving. At the point when you lessen recuperation to restraint, it works on what is actually a substantially more mind boggling issue.
I appreciate you stopping by to chat. I hope that all is going well with you now regarding your battle with Hepatitis C and fighting stigma. Having family issues and child abuse can always trigger bad memories. It can be worse during the holidays. I’m glad you are on here reading and learning more about how to move on to your future.
Please let me know if you ever need anything. I’ll always do my best to answer quickly. I’m teaching again, but always hold you up in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep in touch.
xoKaren