FORWARD TO "LOVING JOE GALLUCCI" a hepatitis C love story
by Melissa Palmer, MD
Hepatitis C is inflammation of the liver due to a virus called the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the United States. Over four million Americans (approximately two percent of the United States population), and more than one percent of the world’s population are infected with HCV. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that only a small percentage (probably around five percent) of infected individuals are even aware that they harbor this virus in their bodies. While the incidence of people becoming acutely infected with HCV is decreasing, approximately 8,000 to 10,000 deaths are attributed to Hepatitis C each year. Moreover, it is estimated that this number will triple within the next two decades. In fact, chronic Hepatitis C is the most common reason that a person will need to undergo a liver transplant in the United States.
Most people are surprised to learn they have Hepatitis C. This is because even at advanced stages of the disease, symptoms are often absent. This is true even in some individuals who have progressed to cirrhosis. And many people believe they were never at risk for acquiring this virus. They, therefore, cannot imagine how they contracted it. Other people have a definable risk factor, such as a history of intravenous drug use, but feel that it occurred such a long time ago that it has no relevance. In any case, the diagnosis of Hepatitis C can have a tremendous impact on the daily lives of both the individual with Hepatitis C as well as his or her family and friends. And the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C – with interferon and ribavirin – has side effect which can be difficult to manage.
Kate Genovese has worked as a registered nurse for more than thirty years. She is also the author of Thirty Years in September, A Nurse’s Memoir. Her writing style is fast-paced, empathetic, and easy to understand. Loving Joe Gallucci is a novel, but it is based on a poignant true-life story. Be prepared to be fascinated by the lives of Jimmy and Meg. Ms. Genovese’s story traces their relationship over a thirty-year span, beginning in the early seventies. Jimmy’s eventual diagnosis of Hepatitis C, and the treatment which it entails, becomes the ultimate challenge for their love. Readers of this book who have Hepatitis C, or who have a loved one with Hepatitis C, will appreciate the intimate glimpse which this book provides – a look into how the disease impacts both the person with Hepatitis C and the family.
As a liver specialist who treats hundreds of people with Hepatitis C every year, I would like to express my gratitude, on my patients’ behalf, to Kate Genovese for authoring a book which portrays the human drama that flows from a diagnosis of Hepatitis C. This book describes situations that are similar to those facing many of my own patients.
“Loving Joe Gallucci is a unique publication, and I recommend it highly to all individuals with liver disease and to their loved ones. Lastly, I am pleased to point out that a portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the American Liver Foundation.”
Melissa Palmer, M.D., Author of: Dr. Melissa Palmer’s Guide to Hepatitis and Liver Disease.
All contents of this article are Copyright © Melissa Palmer, MD
Melissa Palmer, MD is the author of " Dr. Melissa Palmer's Guide of Hepatitis and Liver Disease". (Published 2004. Penguin Putnam).
The offices of Melissa Palmer, M.D. are located at:
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or
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