Survivor!

MICHAEL DE MESA Seasoned actor Michael de Mesa may look healthy and strong now but he suffered from a serious viral infection for a long time. He was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1999 when he was supposed to donate blood. “I freaked out,” he told Bulletin Entertainment in recalling his initial reaction. “To begin with, it was something that I didn’t know about. I am only familiar with Hepatitis A. I didn’t know what Hepatitis C is, and I didn’t know why I have it.” According to an article published on World Health Organization’s website, Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hep C virus. It is a bloodborne virus and the most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood. This may happen through injection drug use, unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, and the transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products. “You can have it by blood transfusion or if you did drugs and you don’t change the needles. I didn’t do any of those. So my next suspect was manicure-pedicure. Sometimes people don’t clean the tools they used for that. “Next is tattoo. Yes, I have tattoos but I am 100 percent sure that the needles that were used on me were all brand-new,” he noted. "Back in 1997, I had my ear pierced at a mall in Texas, using a staple gun. Maybe the person before me left blood on the gun and it was transferred to me.” Michael admitted he got a second opinion but got same diagnosis. “I learned that it’s a disease that could eventually kill you if you don’t take care of yourself. Still, it’s manageable but you have to keep your immune system strong,” he said. It was in 2001 when the actor decided to undergo treatment, though there is no guarantees of cure. He admitted he had a hard time doing showbiz works at the time, as he always had high fever and muscle pain lasting 12 hours. "I had a routine at work that I have to inject something on myself at 6 p.m. By midnight, I would start to feel the effects of the medicine. I would throw up, and the next day, I feel like I came from a huge war.” “I felt guilty and embarrassed because I always excused myself (from tapings). I would go home even though the shooting is not done yet. Thankfully, my co-workers understood my situation,” he added. Later, he decided to stop the treatment because it became expensive. His parents, Rosemarie Gil and Eddie Mesa introduced him to homeopathy, an organic type of treatment. “That treatment was also challenging because I had to get the ingredients abroad. So I used it for three months and as days passes, I realized that it’s really getting expensive too yet there is still no guarantee of me getting cure,” he explained. Beautiful heart Michael credits his wife Julie Reyes-Eigenmann for her unending support. He said she has never stopped searching for a cure. In 2014, the cure for his ailment has been released, but it was too expensive. Fortunately, his wife found a generic version in India. It was December last year when he learned he no longer had the virus. It was a “wonderful Christmas gift,” he smiled. "I am now Hep C-free. I am a Hep C-survivor.” New mission After being cured, Michael found a new mission in life: To educate Filipinos and raise awareness about the disease. According to the 2010 study on Global Burden of Disease by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, viral Hepatitis causes one million deaths each year in the Asia Pacific region. “Hepatitis C is endemic in the Philippines and there is lack of awareness about it and its transmission. Me and my wife aim to spread awareness on the prevention, screening and management among patients, public and healthcare providers,” he said, adding they even put up a Facebook page to serve as a platform for public inquiries. Michael also reiterated the symptoms of Hep C aren’t obvious. “In fact, there’s hardly any. The problem with Pinoys is that we don’t have ourselves checked by doctors when we don’t feel anything. My suggestion is you should. You’ll never know that you have it until it’s too late. The Hep C virus is something that wouldn’t make you feel anything. By the time you feel something, maybe you already have cirrhosis or liver cancer.” Michael was one of the guest speakers at the BEATHepC (Become educated, aware, tested and treated) campaign. Organized by Mylan in association with Hepatology Society of Philippines (HSP), the campaign aims to spread awareness on the disease.