I’ve spent the last 26 years of my life  thinking on and off about how good it would be to not have hep C. The older I’ve become and the more serious I’ve realised it is, the more it’s played on my mind. 

Unbelievably, right now, at this moment in time the virus can’t be detected in my system. I can’t forsee what will happen down the track, but right here, right now, it’s nowhere to be found.

I’ve had the first flush of ringing my family and sharing the news. I’ve basked in the good news. 

Now what? 

I suppose it’s more of the same. Continuing to take my meds. Staying the course. Being responsible in my diet and health choices. Keeping myself healthy. Looking after myself. 

I still have around 14 weeks left to go. When I thought about 24 weeks it seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. So many days and weeks. As I approach the halfway point it feels like it was only yesterday that I started on Viekira Pak. 

I do think about how lucky I am. There are hundreds of thousands of Australians with hepatitis C who deserve a cure.

I’m lucky that I made my own lucky by chasing down specialists who could help me.  I’m lucky I found the great team I have now, who have worked hard behind the scenes to navigate the tricky governmental waters of getting me on a special access scheme. I’m sort of lucky that I was considered sick enough to need it. I’m lucky that AbbVIe facilitated the access scheme by making Viekira Pak available in my country for this purpose.

I’m lucky to have the support of friends and family and the forums such as the Hep forum: people who have whole-heartedly supported me, helped me and made everything just that bit easier.

virus_400px.jpgBut I feel strangely missing something. Which is a funny way to think about a virus that was probably going to kill me.

Perhaps I’ll feel differently if I hit SVR12. I don’t know.

For now, I’m going to take that virus-shaped hole and plug it with good friends, great family, good food and all the blessings that come with those.