Today across the world is a day for those of us who have been fighting Hepatitis to stand up and be a voice.   Be a voice and share your story to help lead others to be tested.

Hepatitis C has a reported 3 million people diagnosed in the US and potentially another 2million who have no idea they have it.  It is the leading cause for liver transplants and we need to share the importance of getting tested early.  Break through the hesitiation you have in your own mind and open up to others about hepatitis.  Share your experience, your personal story and put a local face to a very scary disease.  Help breakdown the stigma.  It does not matter how anyone contracted the disease but rather everyone deserves a cure.  If you face stigma, meet it head on with facts.  It is time to set aside all the miscontrude facts and start helping others get to a testing site.

Look for opportunities to bring up facts about hepatitis c.  For example,  at the local coffee shop I am at, there was a gentleman that was wearing a veterans cap and he made the first contact with me by talking about the day.  I started a continued conversation with him by thanking him for his service to our country.  With a big smile he began telling me about his days in the military.  After a short time the conversation turned about him needing to go into his VA.  I began at that point to share about my story and hepatitis c.  l shared the facts about how our military may have been exposed to hep c through air gun vaccinations durning the war.  The story went on from there. 

My point is... everyone is and can be put into a conversation about hepatitis c.  I am not telling you to go up out of nowhere and start sharing about hep c, but be aware and alert in conversations for an opening to share awareness.  You never know who’s life you will touch by being willing to open up and bring awareness.

LET us TODAY be the VOICE that changes someones’s life....  Get TESTED, Get TREATED, Get CURED

“Not without a FIght!~HCV~”

Kimberly Morgan Bossley