Pamela Anderson Says Hepatitis C Treatment 'Took Everything' She Had

Pamela Anderson says her battle with hepatitis C came with a high financial and emotional cost, including spending everything in her bank account to access an early treatment that was not yet covered by insurance.

According to Fox News, the 59-year-old actress discussed her diagnosis and the years of shame she carried while accepting amfAR’s Award of Courage on Sunday in Venice.

The nonprofit focuses on ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic and also supports hepatitis C research and advocacy.

“Back in the late '90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure,” Anderson said, according to multiple reports. “I'm sure that colored and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out.”

Anderson publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2002. At the time, she said she believed she contracted hepatitis C while sharing needles with her former husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, who has denied her claim.

Years later, Anderson received an emerging treatment that could cure the disease. But she said the medication came at a steep personal price because insurance did not yet cover it.

“Ten blurry years later, there was a cure. I was lucky,” Anderson said. “I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it. It wasn't covered by insurance yet, and I felt tremendous guilt that others weren't granted the same access.”

Anderson announced in 2015 that she was free of hepatitis C after completing a yearlong FDA-approved treatment regimen.

The experience, however, continued to affect how she viewed herself.

“But my experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It stays with me; it haunts me,” she said.

Anderson compared that feeling to sexual abuse she said she endured as a child, describing both experiences as making her feel like “damaged goods.”

Since announcing she was free of hepatitis C, Anderson has returned to the spotlight through a series of film roles, including “The Last Showgirl,” “The Naked Gun” and “Rosebush Pruning.” Her latest film, “Place to Be,” is set to premiere Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival.

“My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts,” Anderson said. She added, “I’m not a victim; I’m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of … I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.”

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