When We Lose Friends and Loved Ones to Hep C

By Kimberly Nash

2 min read

As I sit here today, my eyes fill with tears. My heart is breaking for a dear friend and fellow hep C advocate. She was on my foundation board a few years back and I learned today that she is now in hospice and the doctors have given her a week.

This blog is difficult to write as I personally have witnessed hep C take my own mothers life. Through the destruction of what hep C does to a persons liver, I have lost over a dozen friends to liver cancer.

How hepatitis C affects the body

I do not want this blog to be one of despair, but rather want to turn it into a learning tool for those reading this waiting to be tested, maybe because you are afraid or do not want to know the results, or for those who have delayed getting treatment.

The time to act is now! Not tomorrow, not when you feel better and certainly not because you feel immune to hep C. This is a serious, profoundly serious, disease that can ravage the liver and destroy its cells. In many cases, then works its way throughout your body, often causing issues with kidneys, as well as the lymph, skeletal, and muscular systems. As I think about it, hep C destroys.

Even after treatment, risks remain

All my friends who have lost this battle actually cleared the virus with treatment, but because they either discovered it too late or put off treatment, hep C still damaged their liver (what we call end stage liver disease), putting them at risk of liver cancer. Of course, I do not believe my friends ever intended to lose to liver cancer. In fact, I remember, when we all talking back in early 2014/2015, how wonderful it was to celebrate we are undetected. With treatment, we all began to dream again. We got a second chance at life... only to be diagnosed with liver cancer.

Every one of my friends wished they found they had hep C sooner... or that the newer treatments had come out soon. We all soon! It would have saved our bodies from the lasting effects of end stage liver disease.

The importance of aftercare

If you have end stage liver disease, please continue to get regular checkups and monitoring by your physician. For many people, liver cancer is still a threat. I personally go every 6 months and have ultrasounds, CAT scans, and MRIs to monitor my liver condition. I am not saying that that everyone who has end stage will get cancer, what I am saying is the risk is GREATER to those who do. We need to be proactive and ensure our liver health by monitoring levels at all times.

As I close, my love, my prayers, and my thanks to my dear friend and her family. May you stay strong in the fight and know your legacy will live on in the fight of those of us carrying your torch.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The HepatitisC.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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bbgoode Member
Like Kimberly and so many others I too have lost loved one and friends to Hepatitis C, a couple to HCC, liver cancer and my wife, my Carla to ESLD, End Stage Liver Disease, Decompensated Cirrhosis. Either way HepC is not a soft friendly death, it is hard, painful, frightening for the patient and their loved ones. My Carla fought for 8 years, I was her 24/7 caregiver from diagnosis till her last breath as she lay on an induced coma. The beginning of December 2008 she began having small seizures while at home. She was in Home Hospice Care for her last 2 1/2 years with myself as her caregiver. In those last couple of years I watched helplessly as HepC took her strength, her ability to walk on her own more that 3 or 4 steps. It began taking he's memories, her ability to control her most personal bodily functions, everything. And then the seizures began and I took her to the Hospice Inpatient Unit for better care. The seizures became severe and unmanageable no matter what the doctors tried, she broke her hip during one episode. The doctors finally told her the only way to relieve her almost continual seizures was an induced coma and at this point a coma she would not come back from. My Carla was a Warrior but she was tired, one evening Mooch her faithful dog and I returned from feeding the horses to find her already comatose. She didn't inform me of her decision beforehand, she knew I would fight it. Mooch and I sat in constant tears for almost 2 weeks, the at approximately 9:40 am December 28th 2008 she took her last breath. Those last year's were hard on her, so hard. But the pain was equally bad for those who loved her, a different pain but almost as devastating. Don't fear treatment, fear instead what this terrible virus does with out treatment.
1. MatthewFerry Community Admin
 Thank you for sharing your journey with Carla and her story with our community, Bbgoode. Carla and Mooch are so fortunate to have had your love and care in their lives–and with Carla to her last moment. You say it exactly right–treatment is so important, the effects of long-term hepatitis are fatal. Financial support for treatment is unfortunately so often a barrier to getting started on treatment. We’ve heard often from people who shared they were told they’re “not sick enough for treatment” –their liver disease haven’t progressed severely enough. I hope that there comes a time when everyone who needs treatment for hep C can get it. I’m sending you a virtual hug and want you to know our community is here with you for support. Thank you again for sharing your story and Carla’s story us. Warmly, Matt (Team Member)
2. bbgoode Member
 Thank you Matt. This December it will be 12 years since my Carla was taken, it's been hard to move on in life, relationships are really non existent, tears come out of nowhere. I was in a dark place for a few years but found a support group, Hepatitis C Family and Friends which gave me a home and as it turned out a place where I could help so many others on their journeys against this virus. I now Admin Family and Friends and our sister Christian group.