Back when Pamela Anderson was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the '90s, her doctor said she had about 10 years to live. "The Last Showgirl" star opened up about her diagnosis Sept. 6, as she received an award at the amfAR Gala in Venice. "Back in the late '90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure," Anderson said. "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."
The "Baywatch" actress disclosed her diagnosis in 2002, and said she got hepatitis C by sharing a needle with ex-husband rock drummer Tommy Lee. Lee has denied this. Hepatitis C, a viral infection that primarily affects the liver, can exist quietly in the body
and is easy to overlook. The infection is spread from blood-to-blood contact. Sharing needles or syringes is the most common cause of new infections, according to Dr. William Carey, a senior hepatologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
"10 blurry years later, there was a cure. I was lucky," she said, as she held the amfAR Award of Courage. "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 previously shared she participated in a yearlong treatment regimen, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and compared the treatment to a year of "having the flu," which she described as injections of the antiviral drug interferon, in an interview with Larry King on CNN. "Your hair falls out," she continued. "It's a little kind of chemotherapy." Anderson announced she was a hepatitis C free in 2015.
"I'm grateful to say now that I am hep C free," Anderson said, as the audience applauded. "But my experience of shame and guilt was also still an unconscious journey. It stays with me. It haunts me."
The infection impacts about 50 million people globally, with many people unaware of it for 10 to 20 years before experiencing liver complications. In her motivational speech at amfAR, a foundation for AIDS research, she said she found ways to reduce stigma, encouraged others to get tested and worked with organizations to bring awareness. Despite her efforts, she still underwent an emotional battle.
"My words did not match my feelings," Anderson said. "I was angry. I was scared. I went into sabotage mode and just like the sexual abuse I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: Damaged goods. And I presented myself as such. I don't think I've ever fully recovered from that news."
Since her recovery, she's busied herself with buzzy films from the 2025 reboot "The Naked Gun" with Liam Neeson and "The Last Showgirl," receiving best actress nominations at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes. She most recently starred in "Rosebush Pruning," a satirical dark comedy with Callum Turner, Riley Keough and Elle Fanning.
"My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself and heal through the arts," Anderson said in the speech. "It gave me the ammunition I needed. A fertile life to use and play in."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pamela Anderson recalls spending 'everything I had in my bank' to beat fatal diagnosis
