Hi, I’m a survivor of hep C, and I’m a survivor of prison too.

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Hepatitis C (also called hep C) is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. It is transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, which happens when sharing needles or syringes, especially when injecting drugs. Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver diseases like cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure if left untreated. Hepatitis C can be cured in prison.

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How it started

I didn’t start using drugs until I was 34. A bit of a late bloomer, I guess. But once I started, I made up for lost time. It took about six or seven years before I got arrested for dealing drugs the first time. After that, I was on the police radar. I was living around Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, which was a notorious area at the time. The police knew my face. They knew what I was up to. When I got arrested the first time, one of the detectives asked if I’d work for them. You know, give them the names and information I had saved in my phone. But I said no. I didn’t know or keep anyone’s real names anyway, I didn’t need to know. If someone told me their name was Mickey Mouse and answered to Mickey Mouse, that’s what I called them. Hey Mickey! I wasn’t interested in being part of the service. I declined their offer and was arrested.

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Jail time

In my life, I think I went to jail about 14 times. The longest I did was nine months. I was lucky, really. I was always caught with small amounts. Could’ve been worse. You’ve got to count your blessings where you can see them.

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Getting hep C and getting rid of hep C

I got diagnosed with hep C just before the current treatments came out. These direct-acting antivirals or DAAs, so much easier than the old treatments, which were hard on your body. I had to wait a little while before I could get on treatment because there was a backlog of scripts at the chemist. Lots of people were waiting for direct-acting antivirals and people who had been diagnosed previously all had their orders in too. Anyway, I picked up my pills from the chemist and things were going well. Then I got arrested again. And of course, I didn’t have my pills on me when I got locked up.

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The people who looked out for me

I had a really good GP, he was a good doctor. He’d been my doctor since I moved to Sydney in 2000, he was my partner’s doctor too. When my doctor found out I’d been arrested, he got in his car and drove to the jail. Can you believe that he actually drove to the jail! He was worried that if I missed too many pills then the treatment wouldn’t work. So, he brought some of my pills and got them through the jail’s reception so I could keep going with my treatment. The treatment worked and to skip to the end, I was cured. How good’s that?

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There was also a nurse inside who helped me out heaps. She worked across five or six jails and was flat out, but she still made time for me and helped me manage my hep C treatment. She checked in with me and said if I was released on bail, she wouldn’t need to do anything, I could continue my treatment on the outside. But if I wasn’t, she’d make sure I got my pills to finish the treatment inside. She also made sure I didn’t miss a dose while I was inside. I ended up getting bail and finished the rest of the pills on the outside.

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It doesn’t have to be this way

You know, it could have gone really pear-shaped if those people weren't looking out for me while I was inside. I might not have finished my treatment, and I might not have been cured of hep C.

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I want people in prison to know about hep C. I want people to get tested. I want people to get on treatment and be able to stay on treatment, where they and their doctor decide that’s right for them. Hep C is really running amuck in the jails. But when I was inside, it wasn’t something people really talked about much. The only person I spoke to about it was the nurse.

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It wasn’t a topic of conversation between us inmates, even though it should’ve been. Hep C is a serious virus. It can make you really sick in the long run. It can end in cancer or liver failure.

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I get that some people on the outside don’t like going to the needle and syringe program (NSP) to collect new fits. It can feel uncomfortable or like people are judging you. But NSPs can be really great places, staffed by people who get it, who have their own lived or living experience of drug use and hep C.

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People should feel comfortable walking in, asking for new equipment, or getting a hep C test. That’s how we stop the spread. That is how we support and look out for each other.

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If you’re using, don’t share needles. And if you do, please clean them.

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And for anyone already on treatment and on scheduled release or a quick release from court, make sure you’ve got your pills with you. If you get out on bail and weren’t expecting it, get straight back to your GP and get another script. Keep going with your treatment. It’s your right to live free from hep C. Your right to be healthy, talk to a nurse now!

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Andrew