My Journey with Hepatitis B
Hello everyone,
I’m new here, and reading your stories has brought me a wave of relief, like a heavy weight lifting off my chest. I want to share my own story, one that’s been a painful part of me for years, in hopes of finding connection and understanding.
Seven years ago, at just 17, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis B shortly after arriving in Canada from Kenya. The news hit me like a thunderbolt. I couldn’t believe it—I still struggle to accept it. How could I have this condition? I’d never been intimate with anyone. Back in Kenya, I was a devout Christian, spending my childhood serving in church, playing soccer, running marathons, and living a life I thought was pure. Yet, the lab tests were clear. I dove into research, desperate to find some other explanation, convinced there must be a mistake.
The doctors decided not to start me on medication right away. Instead, they gave me a vaccine to help my body fight the virus and asked me to return in six months. When I did, the devastating truth came: I had chronic Hepatitis B. In that moment, my world shattered. My dreams, my hopes, my faith—they all flickered before my eyes. I left the clinic heartbroken, crying out to God, “Why me?” I’d spent my life trying to live right, to honor my beliefs. At 18, just as I was stepping into adulthood, this diagnosis felt like a cruel punishment for a crime I didn’t commit.
The pain was so overwhelming that I considered ending my life. The only thing that stopped me was my identity as a Christian, my faith anchoring me to hope, however faint. For seven years, I’ve been on medication, praying for a cure, not just for me but for others who feel trapped by this illness. Growing up in Kenya, I stayed true to my values. In boarding school, I had chances to date, but my faith and a deep-seated aversion to casual relationships kept me focused on my beliefs. I thought I was protecting myself, only to arrive in Canada and face this crushing diagnosis.
Now, as I near my 30s, I’ve never been intimate with anyone. This condition has shaped every part of my life. If I stay silent and pursue a relationship, I risk harming someone else—a moral line I could never cross. But if I share my truth, I face almost certain rejection, no matter how deep the love might be. It’s a lonely, heartbreaking reality. I’ve kept this secret locked away, sharing it with no one until recently, when strange symptoms—twitching and jerking nerves all over my body—pushed me to seek help. I visited my doctor, and they took blood tests. I’m still waiting for answers, anxious about what’s next.
Finally, I opened up to my biological sister in the USA. I made her promise not to tell anyone, and as I shared my story, I heard her tears through the phone. She confessed she’d been diagnosed too, living in the same silent darkness. Together, we reached out to our four younger brothers, and they too confirmed they have Hepatitis B. We began to suspect our parents might be the source, though we’ve never had the courage to confront them. If they knew, the guilt could break them, and we can’t bear to cause them that pain. We believe they’re also in treatment but hiding it, just as we’ve been.
I always wanted to become a very big profiled individual i have many skills in business, I will stop it from there, but to get visas like in Europe or Asia with this condition , dreaming of becoming an expatriate living with this condition is a nightmare.
My heart aches for the life I dreamed of saving life specially for kids, having a loving marriage be, a partner to share my life with, someone I could give myself to completely. People often compliment my looks, calling me handsome smart and compassionate, but they don’t see the weight I carry, the depression that shadows me. When kind, beautiful women approach me, women with genuine hearts, I freeze. Opening up feels impossible, and the fear of rejection—or worse, judgment—keeps me silent. I worry I’ll spend my life alone, my story reduced to whispers and stigma.
Thank you for letting me share. I’m here, hoping to find strength in this community, to keep believing in a future where I can be free from this burden. Hope the cure is at the corner I will keep on praying for all of us, with the Rise of AI and advance technologies i think industries will be competing each other to bring cure soon as possible. Thank you all.