My name is Jillian, and I was cured of hepatitis C. Here is my story:
I started using intravenous (IV) drugs, heroin, in the early 2000s. I was in and out of rehab and jail after being arrested multiple times for possession. I would go in and out of rehab and into methadone clinics. Eventually I was successful in my rehab efforts, and I moved back home with my parents. I tested positive for hepatitis C in 2004. Most of my friends from that time also tested positive. I don’t know if they if they got treated – I don’t talk to any of them anymore.
I went through treatment for hepatitis C with interferon combination therapy around 2004. I had to go out on disability from work and was put on Paxil because of the severity of the side effects and depression from treatment. I was lucky enough to have health insurance to cover the costs. I thought about the irony of being an IV drug user and having to give myself injections every week.
I cleared the hepatitis C virus after 8 months of treatment. Treatment was rough, but now there are so little side effects with current hepatitis C treatment. I feel like if more people knew how easy it is now; they’d seek out treatment. Now it’s taking pills for 8-12 weeks with mild side effects and no shots. While people may still have barriers to wanting to get treated, new treatments are a game changer!
Since then, I’ve remained drugfree with no relapses. I’m now the mom of two amazing girls. I’m attending Dartmouth and about to graduate with a master’s degree in public health. I didn’t get here the way I expected, but it feels right!
