I want to share my story with the world, Knowing that I may offer some hope! My story start like any normal one. My Name is Carolanne I'm 17 and I live in Ontario Canada.

On May 16,2001 at school we were having a blood donor clinic. My friends and I decided to make a difference in someone life. We where so happy and proud that we gave blood. What i didn't know it would change my life forever!

On June 19,2001 I was coming home from School it was the day before my final exams, I'm in grade 12. I was diving home and my mom handed me a letter. I opened it up, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a booklet on Hepatitis C along with a letter. I read the letter out loud in disbelief, When the words "The blood your had donated test positive twice for hepatitis C and can not be used". I'll never forget my mom look on her face, it was total shock. We got home and showed my dad. No one could believe it.

I went on studying for my exams. I went online and to the library to find out about "Hepatitis C" I had no idea what it was I had only head about it in bio class. the tuesday June 25 my first day of summer holidays ( nice way to start the summer) I went to my family doctor, and of course everyone was in shock. But with out thinking we knew where I had gotten it, I have 8 blood transfusion when I was born 1983 before they tested all blood for hepatitis C.

My doctor didn't know anything about it really so she order some blood work and sent me to the one doctor in my area that know about Hepatitis C. He was an Infectious Control doctor. We saw him Wednesday, MY whole family went, He was a great doctor, he explained everything to us and answered all our questions. He Also did all my blood work him self that day and sent it away to toronto where they do the Genotyping and viral load. he said it would take about 2-4 weeks.

In the mean time all my family was tested and they were all negative. As I waited for the results I lived online getting info and reading as much as I could. I lived on hepcnet.net since the second day i found out I had hepC. These have been the longest month of my life.

It was july 19 I finally got the result, after my doctor had to call in a specialist to help him understand the results. It was Amazing news. I can quote my Doctor "By some miracle you have clear the HCV" it was the best news I could want. But then it hit me Could i really me 1 of the 15% of people with HCV that clear it on my own. I didn't want to believe it, it seem so impossible that I'd be so lucky, I spent the last month getting ready to hear bad new then this!

MY family and I are waiting until we get the second test result back to truly believe it. it now July 22 and still waiting*. There some many thing going though my head right now, I sometime just want to scream. I'm afraid to believe it I clear it because there such a small chance, I keep thinking it has to be a mistake. We will wait and see. But the one thing I want to everyone who read this story to take away form this is that miracles do happen.

Maybe one day soon there will fine a cure for this "dragon" Maybe the key to it lay in to such rare people as me, one who clear it on there own. So my message to you is, never give up hope!! Miracles do happen, Look at me I'm one!! I wish you all the best!!

love Hope AKA Carolanne

* Note from Lyric: Hope's second test came back negative too.

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