Pamela Anderson paid a steep price to beat hepatitis C.After living with the disease for years, the 59-year-old actress said she drained her bank account to pay for an early treatment that insurance didn’t yet cover.Anderson opened up about her battle with hepatitis C and the shame she carried after her diagnosis in the late '90s while accepting amfAR’s Award of Courage on Sunday in Venice.The nonprofit, which works to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, also supports hepatitis C research and advocacy.RICK MORANIS, CAMERON DIAZ AND LINDSAY LOHAN AMONG STARS WHO LEFT FAME BEHIND BEFORE RETURNING TO HOLLYWOODPamela Anderson revealed she drained her bank account to pay for an early hepatitis C treatment that was not yet covered by insurance.
(2026 Victor Boyko/amfAR)"Back in the late '90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure," Anderson said, according to multiple reports."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."Anderson went public with her diagnosis in 2002 and claimed she contracted the disease while sharing needles with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee.
The Mötley Crüe drummer has denied Anderson's claim.When a cure eventually became available, Anderson said getting access required a major financial sacrifice."Ten blurry years later, there was a cure.I was lucky," she said.
"I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it.It wasn't covered by insurance yet, and I felt tremendous guilt that others weren't granted the same access."GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HEREPamela Anderson said her diagnosis in the late '90s left her struggling with fear, shame and guilt, especially as she worried about her young children.
(Carlo Paloni/amfAR)Anderson announced she was free from hepatitis C in 2015 after completing an FDA-approved yearlong regimen."But my experience of ...