Ireland: The psychological effects of hepatitis C: 'It was a dirty and uneasy feeling and it began to haunt me'

It was in the early noughties when I first got my bloods tested. I wasn't even thinking about hepatitis C at that time, that wasn't on my radar at all. To be honest, I only got tested because a number of other people in the methadone clinic I attended at that time were getting tested. I had no idea that test would turn out to be the turning point in my life and the reality check that I needed.

At this point, my lifestyle was chaotic. This was down to my misuse of drugs and the type of life that comes with taking that path.

My issues with addiction started very early on, when I was 14. Like many others from my area at the time, peer pressure to do drugs was a big issue - like many teenagers I suffered from low self-esteem and drugs were an appealing way to 'fit in'.

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Only the Sickest Hepatitis C Patients Get High Cost Drugs in Medi-Cal

Drugs may be behind her, but Lovelace now lives with Hepatitis C, a result of her drug use. The disease is damaging her liver.

“I can sleep 20 hours a day, literally, with no interruptions, just sleep," she says.

The treatment Lovelace needs could cost the state as much as $85,000 for a full course.  Only people with advanced liver disease or other severe related conditions are eligible for the treatment under Medi-Cal.

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