Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson is one of the people I look up to because she has hep C (I have it and HIV) but she’s still cool and sexy. She hasn’t let it stop her from acting or living a normal life.

Pamela Denise Anderson was born on July 1, 1967 in Ladysmith, British Columbia. In March 2002, Pamela Anderson confirmed rumours that she had hepatitis C. Pamela wanted to be open about her diagnosis to show that she was still “normal.” One thing that Pamela Anderson has said repeatedly is that she’s not dying. In a recent interview with Jane magazine, she treated the subject with humour and good cheer, saying, “Now I have people coming out of the deli hugging me because they think I’m dying. I tell them, ‘I’m not dying, I’m fine. But if you wanna give me a free sandwich, go ahead.’” Although Pamela Anderson is the one of two positive heroes listed in this section who isn’t HIV positive, a number of youth across Canada identified her as a role model because many youth are co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV. Pamela is a role model for many youth who see her success and openness as something to admire.