Name: Lucinda K. Porter, RN
Age Diagnosed: 35
Current Age: 59
Sex: female
From: Grass Valley, CA
Genotype: 1a
Acute or Chronic: Chronic
Cured Hep C: Not yet
Treatment Length: #1 12 weeks #2 48 weeks
Treatment used: #1 interferon #2 peginterferon + ribavirin
This truth never fails me: joy comes from pain, so never
give up when during hard times or I will miss the treasure that is just around
the corner. This has served me for more than 25 years, but before that time, I
gave up easily.
Mental illness dogged me for more than twenty years. In
1988, beaten by severe clinical depression, I gave up and took a near lethal
overdose. The initial result was multi-organ failure. My liver failed, with
enzymes above 18,000. My kidneys failed, my heart was going, and I was told
that I would be in a coma in hours and dead within a day.
With death hours away, I tried something I never had
before—I let go of fear and surrendered to the mysterious unknown. I focused on
the present, with no concern about the outcome. I smiled, and asked about others.
I was kind to everyone I came in contact with—my family, the medical team, and
the hospital staff. In short, I was grateful.
"
I am alive because of transfused blood. I vowed that if I
lived, I would not waste those precious transfusions. I have kept this vow,
despite the fact that I acquired hepatitis C (HCV) from the donated blood. Was
HCV a gift or a burden? For me, it was a gift".
Here is what I have done
because of HCV, not
despite
of HCV:
·
I became a nurse specializing in HCV
·
I became a speaker, educator, and advocate
·
I became a writer and author (more about that
later)
·
I found my voice
Here are some gifts HCV has given me: Balance, Patience,
Grace, Health. Yes, health, because without HCV, I might become careless. As a
person who has tried treatment twice, am still living with the virus, how I feel
and how long I will live depend upon my daily actions. This means I exercise,
eat well, keep my weight under control, sleep enough, avoid alcohol, meditate,
play and pursue humor like a pregnant woman looking for a bathroom.
"
Another gift I got from HCV is tenacity. I plan on going through HCV
treatment a third time, hoping that it will be the last time, but I will do
whatever it takes to stay healthy. For me, a bit of short term discomfort is
worth it. With the fabulous success rates of the current triple therapies and
the incredibly exciting potential of drugs in clinical testing, cure is within
reach for so many of us".
As a patient, nurse, support group leader, and advocate, I
know HCV inside and out. There are many wonderful books about it, but I felt
uniquely qualified to write another one.
Free from Hepatitis C: Your Complete Guide
to Healing Hepatitis C was published this year. My goal was to provide a voice
of reassurance along with practical tips on how to manage HCV and its
treatment. The feedback has been wonderful and my second book will be out next
year. It will be daily inspirational readings and tips for those going through
HCV treatment. It is a tool to help people to stay on treatment and know that
they are not alone.
Never give up. If joy is not here, it is just around the
corner and if you give up, you will miss it. Health may be around the corner
too, and it is worth striving for.
Wishing you peace, health, tenacity and freedom,
Lucinda
Free from Hepatitis C
is available on Amazon or link from my website.
Facebook @LucindaKPorter, @FreeFromHepatitisC, Twitter
@LucindaPorterRN
Lucinda is just an amazing person and I am so honored to know her.
ReplyDeleteDitto on that!!!!
ReplyDelete