Aa
Want to come to HectorSF's memorial?
It's August 25th in the evening at UCSF
I know that Howie helped so many who cannot make it to San Francisco. I propose that each of you who would like to do so, send a card with your name and address or share your favorite Howie story so that I may give them to Howie's sister at the memorial
She is flying cross country so flowers prob not best option
PM me and I will send you my address at home in San Francisco
I think it would mean a lot to Howie's family to know how much we admired and looked up to him, all the lives he changed for the better and how much we loved and miss him
If some of you are in touch with followers who left MedHelp after being cured, please let him know of this opportunity to pay their respects
Thanks everyone
I know that Howie helped so many who cannot make it to San Francisco. I propose that each of you who would like to do so, send a card with your name and address or share your favorite Howie story so that I may give them to Howie's sister at the memorial
She is flying cross country so flowers prob not best option
PM me and I will send you my address at home in San Francisco
I think it would mean a lot to Howie's family to know how much we admired and looked up to him, all the lives he changed for the better and how much we loved and miss him
If some of you are in touch with followers who left MedHelp after being cured, please let him know of this opportunity to pay their respects
Thanks everyone
Hi I would like to send a card, I sent you a PM, I hope you got it :) Thank you, Dee
I would like to go to this. Can you pm me the time and place.
1 Comments
I put this date on my calendar.
Looking through some old messages and I thought you would appreciate this one from Hector, a few years back:
Sent by HectorSF Jul 07, 2014
Hi Linda,
I am so very sorry for your friend...How horrible. Life can be so cruel. (my friend died from Hep C)
I am just grateful that others won't have to suffer such a tragedy due to the amazing progress made in the scientific understanding of the virus and the ways to manipulate the replication process so the virus can be killed off.
Yes, my cirrhosis is completely gone. No more fatigue, ascites, edema etc. So I had a 36 year old female liver with no fibrosis which works perfectly. Of course I have other issues with my new meds, infections and I am still recovering from being very ill and disabled for the last 5 years. But that is all trivial compared with being alive. All.of which is beyond comprehension but which I am grateful for every day. The odds were very small that I would be alive now so to me it is all good enough even when I am not feeling well. I am one of the luckiest people alive and know that in my body as I had to endure a lot to be here. It was all well worth all of the pain and any pain in the future.
My hep C in under control so normally I wouldn't even start treatment until at least next year when I hope to be fully recovered. We are treating my hep C in hopes of preventing my cancer from recurring. So my case is very different than 99.9% of others who treat. It just happens to be that way which is fine. This is our Dr. Terrault and myself) own "experiment" based on a current theory about liver cancer. So I don't expect anyone else to understand it. This is how I like to be involved in my own health care and a way for me to fight to live. Norah has given me the opportunity to have a say in my outcome. Obviously she and doctors have saved my life so far and we hope to continue to beat the odds. As I said I am one of the luckiest people to have so many people helping me. I really can't really understand why I am so lucky but I accept it humbly as I can and am very appreciative and love Norah and all of the wonderful people who treated me so well when it looked like my chances of surviving cancer was hopeless.
I assume you were listed because of treating your hep C? In case there was a problem when treating? That is how is was with interferon based treatments which could cause decompensation or very rarely liver failure. I don't know if that will be the case now that we have new, safe treatments for cirrhotics? Normally a person needs a MELD score of 15 to be listed. And of course a person normally needs a MELD score in the 30s to actually get a liver transplant. My MELD score was 36 when I got mine. In another week I would have had a MELD score of 37 or 38 which is really up there as it only goes to 40. MELD score scale is 6-40. As you said no one wants a transplant and a lifetime taking care of a new liver. Transplant is the last option. For all of us with transplants it was a matter of transplant or death. For me that was a no brainer.
Be well. Life your life. That is all the matters. Hep C, cirrhosis, whatever. Don't let anything ever hold you back from life. This is it. We really make the best of what little time we have in my opinion.
I wish you all good things.
Howie
Sent by HectorSF Jul 07, 2014
Hi Linda,
I am so very sorry for your friend...How horrible. Life can be so cruel. (my friend died from Hep C)
I am just grateful that others won't have to suffer such a tragedy due to the amazing progress made in the scientific understanding of the virus and the ways to manipulate the replication process so the virus can be killed off.
Yes, my cirrhosis is completely gone. No more fatigue, ascites, edema etc. So I had a 36 year old female liver with no fibrosis which works perfectly. Of course I have other issues with my new meds, infections and I am still recovering from being very ill and disabled for the last 5 years. But that is all trivial compared with being alive. All.of which is beyond comprehension but which I am grateful for every day. The odds were very small that I would be alive now so to me it is all good enough even when I am not feeling well. I am one of the luckiest people alive and know that in my body as I had to endure a lot to be here. It was all well worth all of the pain and any pain in the future.
My hep C in under control so normally I wouldn't even start treatment until at least next year when I hope to be fully recovered. We are treating my hep C in hopes of preventing my cancer from recurring. So my case is very different than 99.9% of others who treat. It just happens to be that way which is fine. This is our Dr. Terrault and myself) own "experiment" based on a current theory about liver cancer. So I don't expect anyone else to understand it. This is how I like to be involved in my own health care and a way for me to fight to live. Norah has given me the opportunity to have a say in my outcome. Obviously she and doctors have saved my life so far and we hope to continue to beat the odds. As I said I am one of the luckiest people to have so many people helping me. I really can't really understand why I am so lucky but I accept it humbly as I can and am very appreciative and love Norah and all of the wonderful people who treated me so well when it looked like my chances of surviving cancer was hopeless.
I assume you were listed because of treating your hep C? In case there was a problem when treating? That is how is was with interferon based treatments which could cause decompensation or very rarely liver failure. I don't know if that will be the case now that we have new, safe treatments for cirrhotics? Normally a person needs a MELD score of 15 to be listed. And of course a person normally needs a MELD score in the 30s to actually get a liver transplant. My MELD score was 36 when I got mine. In another week I would have had a MELD score of 37 or 38 which is really up there as it only goes to 40. MELD score scale is 6-40. As you said no one wants a transplant and a lifetime taking care of a new liver. Transplant is the last option. For all of us with transplants it was a matter of transplant or death. For me that was a no brainer.
Be well. Life your life. That is all the matters. Hep C, cirrhosis, whatever. Don't let anything ever hold you back from life. This is it. We really make the best of what little time we have in my opinion.
I wish you all good things.
Howie
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
