Hepatitis: an incurable condition connected to the inflammation of the liver, which takes millions of lives per year is another disease where you may have heard its name only to brush it off. Yet, change can only be started with knowledge, so join me as we dig deeper.
Hepatitis is a condition that may be caused by several different viruses. It can be acute, flaring up suddenly then eventually dissipating, or it can be chronic. There are five types of Hepatitis, names you’ve most likely heard as well. Hepatitis type A, B, C, D, and E can all be caused differently yet they all lead to an enlarged liver.
But, just hearing about a disease isn’t enough to truly witness what it is like. Lai Wang Yu, a 69- year-old man from Hong, learned that he had hepatitis B nearly thirty years ago. Yet, he has learned to live with the condition. He says that when he informs people that he has hepatitis B, people “always say, “You look so healthy, there’s no way!”. As someone who has had the condition for so many years, he believes that “we shouldn’t be afraid of this disease”, but rather “invest understanding” in it.
Wow, imagine that. Health problems can truly be horrific for anyone dealing with them, yet Lai Wang Yu was able to traverse those problems and truly say with confidence that he is not scared of his condition. Those with diseases and conditions can truly be the bravest people out there.
Hepatitis B is a specific form that can be transmitted from mother to child, so when Lai Wang Yu realized this he informed his siblings and it turned out that they all, yes all of them, carried the virus. At this point in time, there was no treatment for the disease. Distraught, Lai Wang Yu didn’t know if there was anything he could do. He did eventually find clinical studies that he believed could further the research about his condition. And so, his siblings Lau Wang Yu and one of his older brothers put themselves forward.
Imagine living in a world where there was no treatment for the disease you carry. Of course, many people even face that trouble today and it is absolutely devastating. Lai Wang Yu had to live with that reality not just for himself, but for his own siblings. While many of his sisters and brothers seemed to give up, not taking medicine or going to the doctor, Lai Wang Yu had to press on.
Not for himself, but to show his siblings that living with hepatitis b was possible. I think we can all take something from his story. We may not all be harboring the same condition, but the mere knowledge of what it is and taking action can mean the world to someone. Changing the world slowly, but surely.
References:
Website, John Hopkins Medicine, Unknown
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hepatitis
Video, Gilead Sciences, Unknown,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPkU5Z0DeUw&feature=youtu.be
