ALTOONA - Imagine being diagnosed with a deadly disease that can be
cured, but you can't get the treatment. More than 100 patients in our
region and millions across the country, with Hepatitis C face that
frightening situation. Treatments that can reverse the virus cost about
$1,000 a pill.
A tattoo changed a Bedford County man's life. Mike
Miller got it done a few years ago by a friend and last August he
found out he'd also gotten the hepatitis C virus. He's tired, he has
abdominal pain and his joints ache. He says, "there are just days that I
don't feel like getting out of bed."
Fortunately, tests show Mike
is still in the early stages of Hep. C. His blood doesn't show a high
number of infected cells and he doesn't have cirrhosis of the liver. So,
he doesn't qualify for treatment that could keep the disease from
progressing.
Read more... Labels: access to treatment, cost of treatment, Personal Stories