Thirty years since being diagnosed with Hepatitis C, this mother is in the best health of her life
“I have to be around for my son”
At 45, Andrea Ryan is in the best health of her life: she watches what she eats, takes supplements, doesn’t drink and gave up smoking years ago. She also has a six-year-old son to chase around, which provides regular workouts.
But a decade ago, the picture looked grim: after living with hepatitis C for about 20 years, her health had begun to deteriorate.
“I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning, struggling to walk, throwing up, having all sorts of terrible health issues,” she says from her home in Ottawa.
Her symptoms made her seek out a long-term way to manage her hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne disease that can cause joint pain, decreased appetite and fatigue. As the viral load increases, it attacks the liver, usually causing liver failure and, sometimes, liver cancer. Most people unknowingly live with the disease for years before symptoms appear. That was the case for Ryan, who is still unsure how she contracted the disease.
After she gave birth to her son, she wanted her health back, but at that time the only treatment option had an overall success rate of less than 50 per cent. It also came with side effects: hair thinning, unusual tiredness and nausea. For a mom of a young child, that really wasn’t an option.
“It was something I could never even fathom,” Ryan says. Her physician told her the cost of this new class of medications could be covered, but only if she was desperately ill with advanced liver disease.
Then, her specialist gave her a lifeline: a clinical trial. She had her worries (would it work; would it leave her unable to be a candidate in a future trial?), but thinking of her son, she set her fears aside.
“I had to do whatever it took to make sure I was going to gain these years of my life. I have to be around for my son,” she says.
In her case, a clinical trial saved her the heartache and misery of waiting for the inevitable. It’s a powerful reminder of why Canadian clinical trials are so vital for patients desperately waiting for new discoveries and new technologies.
“I was definitely one of lucky ones,” Ryan says.
All treatment options have benefits and risks which vary by individual. Patients should consult their doctor to determine the most appropriate option.