Thankful...

Last year at this time, I was a mess. I had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, genotype 3a. My viral load was low at 10000. I was gearing up for treatment to start in January 2009. My anxiety was awful. There were so many unknowns.

Fast forward to now. I've completed treatment and feel better than I have in years. I thought I was just tired from having young children. While they don't know for sure when I got it, the doctor thinks it was within the last 3 years. As of October, I'm still undetectable.

I'm so thankful for getting through treatment and, thus far, having good results. The treatment was no piece of cake with the depression being the worst. The fatigue was a close second. I have a totally different outlook on life now. I guess it could be "don't sweat the small stuff" outlook. I'm still on antidepressants and that might help with the outlook. I don't know nor do I care. What I do know is that I'm feeling great, I love my family and I feel good with where I am in life.

Hepatitis C opened up a whole other group to me. I met the Hep C nomads out of the UK. I have two friends locally with whom I meet once a month for support. I know that life is not to be taken for granted. I understand that bad things can happen for no reason and people are not to be judged for what ailment they might be dealing with. There's no room for bitterness. As the saying goes, "We all have our cross to bear."

So with that said, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving. May you find something in your life for which you can be grateful.