Experiences of the new treatment only

Alexander was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1996 when he was in prison and says that while he wanted to be cured of it, over the years he was ‘never that concerned’.

Amelia was diagnosed with hepatitis C while she was pregnant with her son, and postponed treatment until after she had given birth.

Carol runs a small business in a regional town in New South Wales. She was first diagnosed with hepatitis C in the early 2000s, but it cleared spontaneously, without treatment.

Chris was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the early 1990s. He was very conscious of the stigma surrounding the virus and chose not to tell many people about his diagnosis.

Dominic found out he had hepatitis C through a check-up at a community drop-in centre around 2002, when he was 18.

In the early 1990s Gracie found out she had hepatitis C after her new partner asked her to get tested for it.

Julia found out she had hepatitis C while pregnant with her first child.

Kylie was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the late 1990s. She was advised not to have treatment at the time, and she lived with the disease until she had the new treatment in 2017.

Lou works and studies part-time

Mem was diagnosed with hepatitis C shortly after giving birth in 2006

Miguel acquired hepatitis C during a period in which, as he puts it, he was a ‘party animal’

Paulie was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2002

Regina was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2009 after a blood test for a hysterectomy showed she had the virus

Rod was first diagnosed with hepatitis C in the early 2000s

Sana was first diagnosed with a ‘blood infection’ in India in about 2008, before being diagnosed with hepatitis C in Australia in 2019

While Sean wasn’t diagnosed with hepatitis C until 2001, he says he thinks he acquired it as a teenager in the late 1990s

Steve was diagnosed with hepatitis C in about 2005

Terence was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2016 after leaving prison