My Story

My name is Bruce and I am 48 years old, married for twenty-one years with two children. All of who are HCV negative. I live near Centralia, Missouri on a small farm. I was diagnosed with Hep B in Germany in 1974. (they never tested me and I have no antibodies..hmmm..I was in the army at the time. I was hospitalized for 45 days and told I was cured. In Noc. 1989, I went to the ER with chest pain and weakness. I wasn't having a heart attack, but a lout of liver pain. My ALT was greater than 1000. The Dr. I was referred to, had just returned from a seminar on Hepatitis and learned about the Interferon trials. I started the trials in Jan. '89 and spent the next year and a half on and off Interferon. I did well while on it, but relapsed within a few weeks of stopping. In 1997, my Dr. put me on Interferon for a year. My viral load was greater than five million. After one year, I stopped Interferon. Three weeks later, my viral load was two million. The combo was approved on July 18th and I started July 20th 1998.

While I was on combo I had a variety of sides to include fatigue, anemia, depression, joint pain, weight loss and other flu like systoms. One of the worst sides was my extremely short temper. Luckily, I have a great family and they put up with me. After the first few months, these sides were greatly reduced except for the anemia. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath. I always took my shots right before I went to bed and that seemed to help.

On May 30, 1999 I stopped the combo and my enzymes are still normal and my viral load on July 1, 1999 was non-detectable. Today I remain virus free. It has been over 4 years now. So Far So Good! I have had several biopsies. When I was first diagnosed I had mild fibrosis and mild scarring, that was in 1989. In 1997 and it had advanced to Grade 2 inflammation and Stage 3 fibrosis. I had a liver biopy Dec. 2002, 3 1/2 years after treatment and it showed no inflammaion and stage 2 fibrosis! A big change from the periportal bridging I had 5 years ago!

I am not postive how I got infected. I did have a couple of risk factors. In September 1973 I received the Army vaccinations with the "jet injectors" and in December, I used IV drugs, so, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I am a Medical Technologist (I work in Molecular Pathology, where I do the PCR testing for Hep C). For the last 5 years I have been a patient advocate, and active in a number of non-profit groups. I started with the United States Hepatitis Alliance as a State Chairperson. I later became the President. In 2000 the group dissolved and I joined Frontline Hepatitis as Vice President. In December 2001, I left Frontline and formed my own not for profit corporation, Missouri Hepatitis C Alliance. We now have 3 support groups going: Columbia, Jefferson City, and Osage Beach Missouri. All of the groups I have worked have been national and many national groups formed the National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council (www.hepcnetwork.org)

It is now March 2008 and I am still virus free. I have joined forces with RAIN of Central Missouri to provide funding for free testing and assist with treatment services for the uninsured in central Missouri. I am working full time with people affected by HCV and traveling the state providing education to the general public.

Bruce Burkett
President
Missouri Hepatitis C Alliance

The Hepatitis C Epidemic Control and Prevention Act

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