Pamela Anderson Says Her Hepatitis C Death Sentence “Colored And Corrupted” Her Decisions in the ’90s
· Thought Catalog
Updated 36 minutes ago, September 8, 2026
A doctor once told Pamela Anderson she had about 10 years to live. She was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in the late ’90s, back when there was no cure, and she says the “death sentence” reshaped how she lived.
Pamela Anderson says she’s now officially “Hep C free,” but the diagnosis that once gave her a decade to live still follows her.
The 59-year-old opened up at the amfAR Gala Venezia 2026 on September 6, where she was honored with the Award of Courage. She was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in the late ’90s, when there was no cure and her doctor told her she likely had around 10 years left.
“It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out,” she said, referencing sons Brandon, 30, and Dylan, 28, whom she shares with ex-husband Tommy Lee.
A cure eventually came, and she paid for it herself before insurance would. “I was lucky. I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it,” she said, adding that she felt guilt over others who couldn’t get the same access.
Now she wants people to get tested and to talk about the infection without shame. “I don’t think I’ve ever fully recovered from that news,” she said. “It stays with me. It haunts me.”
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