When I was working as an HIV-AIDS activist I met Helena. She was in a hospital, her diagnosis was HIV-hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection, and it was in a terminal stage. Nobody wanted to see her and nursing staff rarely came into her room; not even her family came. One day she asks me with her already-broken voice to call her family. She wanted to see her mother and her daughter. I called them, but the response from the other side of the telephone line was negative. I was never able to tell Helena.
One afternoon she asked me to read Psalm 23 from the Bible I had brought in at her request and, as I read it, she faded until she passed away.
Helena stayed with me. I could do a lot for her on the issue of HIV/AIDS, but I could not do anything about hepatitis C. I did not know much about it. I know that there are many Helenas dying because of misinformation, a lack of awareness and a lack of information about how to prevent infection.
I started my hepatitis activism because of Helena. I comfort myself because I’ve been able to help and empower many people by educating them on the subject of hepatitis. More than
that, I’ve been able to help them get timely medical attention, access medicines through legal action and receive comprehensive care.
There are many of us around the world doing the same work with other ‘Helenas’. Little by little, awareness of viral hepatitis is being achieved. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C will be known and spoken about all over the world. The slogan that we once had in a campaign - no more silence with the silent disease - has taken effect thanks to the efforts of many organisations, activists, patients and professionals that have sown the seeds of difference. There is now real hope that we can eliminate these diseases.
- Yary Laudith Torres Ramirez, Colombia. Story courtesy of the World Hepatitis Alliance.
