Pamela Anderson recalls spending ‘everything I had in my bank’ to beat fatal diagnosis

Back when Pamela Anderson was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the '90s, her doctor said she had about 10 years to live. "The Last Showgirl" star opened up about her diagnosis Sept. 6, as she received an award at the amfAR Gala in Venice. "Back in the late '90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure," Anderson said. "I'm sure that colored and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out."

The "Baywatch" actress disclosed her diagnosis in 2002, and said she got hepatitis C by sharing a needle with ex-husband rock drummer Tommy Lee. Lee has denied this. Hepatitis C, a viral infection that primarily affects the liver, can exist quietly in the body and is easy to overlook. The infection is spread from blood-to-blood contact. Sharing needles or syringes is the most common cause of new infections, according to Dr. William Carey, a senior hepatologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

"10 blurry years later, there was a cure. I was lucky," she said, as she held the amfAR Award of Courage. "I was offered it in its…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/entertainment/