If you came so far to read this forum and this thread, most probably you already heard about the generic medication for HCV and that it works.
So what's with this question of taking control over your life? The answer is that if you have HCV, it is you the only one who can make a real change in order to save your life.
To explain this:
People which post messages on this forum are people from all over the world, from many countries. Some of these countries are very democratic, some are less democratic, some are rich, others are not that rich. Some countries, few I would say, are quite advanced in helping their own citizens to treat HCV, but many countries are still far behind.
The HCV virus does not care where you live. If you have HCV you may be pretty sure that the "mission" this virus has is to replicate so that it may survive, unfortunately in this mission it will destroy your liver cells continuously and endlessly which means it is damaging your health and it might eventually kill you.
This is why getting treated asap is vital for your survival and to live a better life.
Even though the new DAA medications are working (both, branded and generic DAAs), the dramatic part comes when people want to access the treatment. In many countries all over the world the access to treatment is restricted and as a current generalized practice, only very sick people get it.
I've been in the same situation for over 13 years. Initially I was told there is no cure except the interferon based treatment. I did it and it didn't work. I was hoping for years that new and effective medication will be invented and thank God, some beautiful minds did this. But I was still not having access to this medication.
This meant I had NO CONTROL OVER MY LIFE. This meant I continued to be anxious, made me feel dependent on the decisions of others (healthcare system, politicians, etc) and seeing that they were not doing anything for me made things even worse. Politicians praise themselves often by claiming that they fight against HCV and speak about some thousands of people that will be treated, but when you are not one of those thousands, your suffering will not end.
Today, ~2 years after I decided to take the control back on my life and get treated with HCV generic medication, I look at what the politicians from my country are doing and whatever they do look as a big ridiculous circus. In their struggle to get more and more power (and solve their own interests or getting more money ....) they neglect what people really need, no matter what their needs are. HCV people almost does not exist for them, except maybe the fact they exist as a statistical number. In these 2 years I've seen the politicians giving laws against the civil society demands (perhaps you've heard something about the street demonstrations from Romania from the past 12 months ... ) or against economic principles defying the market and without having made proper impact analysis. They claim so easily that the impact of their laws will be positive and once it is proven that the impact of their laws is bad, they invent excuses and imaginary forces with whom they have to fight... If in your country happens the same as in mine, what are the chances that these politicians will do something for you?
Recently I read an article in the online mass-media which made me happy: the word about HCV generic medication is spreading more and more. Many HCV sick people from my country decided to take control over their lives and source generic medication from countries like India, Egypt where the prices are affordable to them. And they get treated. By doing this they gave themselves a chance to live a better life, to be no longer dependent on the mighty will of whatever politician(s), to be able to work and take care of their families, to enjoy the moments with their beloved ones, to follow their dreams which have been postponed because of HCV, etc.
I end this post with a simple conclusion: between you and some politicians, it is you who have a higher power to change the current status quo and get treated. And I believe you should use this power.
TAKE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE AND GET TREATED!
Cheers,
RHF