Pamela Anderson Opens Up On Struggles With Hepatitis C
Pamela Anderson, 59, received amfAR's Award of Courage at the organization's annual Gala Venezia on Sunday September 6 at the Venice Film Festival, and used the moment to publicly discuss her hepatitis C diagnosis for one of the most extended times she ever has.
"Back in the late '90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure," she told the audience. "It was a death sentence." She said her doctor told her she had approximately 10 years to live. There was nothing to do but wait.
She described the shame and guilt that followed, comparing it to the sexual abuse she experienced as a child, saying it felt like "Damaged goods" was carved into her forehead. "I presented myself as such," she said. "My experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It stays with me; it haunts me."
In 2011, the medical world found a cure. By 2015, Anderson was hepatitis C-free, though she said "it took everything I had in my bank" to afford the treatment. She has since become an advocate for testing and stigma reduction.
"I don't think I've ever fully recovered from that news," she said Sunday. "But my truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself and heal through the arts." She closed with what amfAR put on the screen behind her when it named her as its honoree: "I am not a victim. I am a victor."
