[DO NOT PUBLISH] Desperation, Hopelessness, and Hepatitis C

No matter where you live, or how much you have, without hope, you are likely to feel like you don’t have much. This could go around in circles, and yes, without hope, it is hopeless, but do you lack hope? Admittedly, we have all experienced some period or level of hopelessness in our life. How severe or extreme is entirely individual, and my idea of feeling hopeless will vary from some of you reading this right now.

My experiences are different than yours

Desperation and hopelessness live in the same neighborhood, but acceptance of a place is in no way a given, or the desired place anymore than hopelessness is. These are places I have known in my own life, and thankfully, it was not a permanent residence for me, despite how much it may have felt like it was at times.

Hope or hopefulness is not something we can simply wish away or vanquish with a few platitudes. Some are sure of the methods that work for them, if they are frequent visitors to that dark place, but will their approaches work for you? I don’t know, and neither do they, but we thank them for sharing and hopefully, it is helpful for you or any of us.

Getting help

Modern medicine, to include talk therapy can help some of us, and I encourage people to seek out help in any way they feel comfortable, but this, of course, depends on access and our, unfortunately, ability to afford services that may help. There are ways to find the help that does not carry a financial burden, and I have worked in that area for years, along with others who provide peer support, but as great as it is, there are some things we cannot do. Sometimes, we need the help that only professionals can provide, and there is no shame at all in seeking out their help. Yes, there is a stigma around mental health and wellness, just like hep C.

Our hopes are part of the glue that binds us together. Words do not always capture well exactly how we define these things, at least not always for me, as hard as I try. Your hopes may vary quite sharply from mine, and whoever said we all should have the same ones is wrong, but we do share several common ones I believe. We all hope for good health, and not only for ourselves, but for those we love. Whatever your hopes are, it is my hope that you realize them and if you ever do feel hopeless, that you do ask for help; It is worth adding to that toolkit we call our hopes, for you and me, and us all.