Pamela Anderson says a doctor told her she probably had only 10 years to live after she was diagnosed with hepatitis C, leaving her terrified about what would happen to her two young sons.
Anderson revisited the diagnosis while accepting amfAR's Award of Courage at the organization's Sept. 6 gala in Venice. She described hepatitis C as a "death sentence" at the time because the treatments then available had not given her the certainty that later antiviral drugs would provide.
She ultimately completed a 12-week antiviral treatment and announced in 2015 that she was free of the virus. During her Venice speech, however, Anderson said the years surrounding the diagnosis affected her decisions and left behind feelings of shame and guilt that did not disappear with the medical result.
The 59-year-old actress ended her remarks by rejecting the victim label attached to difficult periods in her life. "I'm not a victim, I'm a victor," she told the audience. "I'm not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play."
Anderson publicly disclosed in 2002 that she had hepatitis C. Looking back on that period at the amfAR Gala Venezia, she said the prognosis she received was stark.

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