Getting tested for hepatitis takes 2 minutes and could save your life

Gavin Naylor was tested for Hepatitis C in 2013. Although he had no symptoms, his result came back positive. A 12-week course of medication was all it took to cure him. He urges us all to get tested, even if we are certain we don’t have Hepatitis B or C.

I was in homeless housing – it’s the first time I’d been in that situation. I committed a crime, and I finished off in prison for the first time. While I was in prison my partner wrote me a letter and told me that she thinks I should get tested because she thought she had hepatitis. So I got tested while I was in prison and I had hepatitis, but my partner didn’t have hepatitis. So that’s how I found out. 

It was a shock because I didn’t really understand what hepatitis was and I couldn’t really understand how I got it because I never injected myself. 

It was more confusing than anything because I didn’t understand how, why, and what was gonna happen. 

I’m hepatitis free now. I took a 12-week course of medication. Everything worked perfectly, and I had no side-effects. next blood test came back negative. I tested again six months from that, and same again, negative again. 

Now I’m just leading a healthy lifestyle, doing everything you’re supposed to do, and life goes on. 

Everyone should get tested. It’s a simple pinprick test and everyone should have one. 

A lot of people out there just do not know. Everyone assumes, oh, I haven’t been in the right circles, I can’t have it. Well, you can. 

You could be walking around and going to work, have a partner and just wouldn’t know if you’ve got hepatitis until it’s too late when the liver is that damaged that it’s irreparable and then the serious stuff starts. 

We don’t have to get to that point now. Luckily, we do not have to get to that point. We can sort it out now.