Posts Tagged ‘Hep C’

Hep C, New Treatments – Dr. John Hutchinson, MD Duke University

Posted: May 27, 2010 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

So, as we get ready to launch books4free.com with my book about surviving interferon treatment, I happen to stumble across a link to a potentially better, and hopefully easier way of defeating Hepatitis C.

http://www.anadyspharma.com/products_in_development/ANA598.html

I guess it’s still in Phase II, and I won’t pretend to know what that means, but it actually is being lead by the Duke Doctor who replied to me while I was going through treatment. His website and comments gave me some hope as I was finishing up the treatments in Spring of 2008.  I also just happened to stumble across another article mentioning a third drug, on top of the ribivirn, interferon treatments, that increases the odds of being cured even more… called telaprevir. Very hopefully, interesting stuff. I went to a Hep C funeral last week, so if they could improve the cure ratios above 50% it would mean a lot to a lot of people.

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/7386301/

This definitely tempts me to talk to this Dr. some before releasing the final version of the book, as anything I can add to give hope or information to Hepatitis C sufferers is an asset to the book…. just when you think you’re finished huh…

Oh well, a little more research and work couldn’t hurt the overall success of the book long term, and this is just too exciting of news not to include. Looks like they were preleminary trials but still, worth writing about!

Additionally found this older article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605112257.htm

Worth reading, hopeful stuff!!!!

-JB Smith

Ultimate Purpose of a book chronicling addiction, Interferon, and Hepatitis C Struggles

Posted: May 21, 2010 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

After two effing years of working on a book, my dumbass originally estimated would take two weeks to complete, you better believe you occasionally wonder if the thing is worth a damn, or just an inflated ego tauting rambling pile of turds.

But the original reason I began writing it was to hopefully give witness to my story of recovery, of getting sober, finding out I was Hep C positive, and then staying sober, navigating the waters of meetings, weekly interferon shots, ribavirin and the hell the was the 48 week treatment of Interferon. Ultimately I wrote this book for people that may have to go through the same process, as surely I didn’t have a monopoly on contracting Hep C and then getting sober.

Last night as fate, God, or Zeus would have it, a close friend of mine turns out is facing the exact same challenges. With a natural aversion to Alcoholics Anonymous, and little to no hope of beating both addiction and Hepatitis C, I can at least give him my book, allow him to read that it can be done, and not just by some stranger, but my someone he knows, and hopefully walk away with a little bit of purpose, direction, clarity, and the Universe willing, some hope.

Even if the book gets racked against the coals, crucified in reviews, and shat on in the public eye, if it seriously helps one Hep C sufferer get through the hellish year of Interferon Treatment it will have served it’s purpose.

The Henry David Thoreou quote helps as well. To paraphrase, “Write as though you’re writing to far away relatives” and in that you preserve the truth, and allow your writing not to be hampered by what others may think.

I really pray this book reaches out to sufferers of addiction, Hep C, and the families of those suffering both of those fatal diseases, and offers some strength, hope, reality and a couple of smiles, and therefore, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of my book.  It came from the heart, and is a success, regardless of whether it sells 10 copies or 10000000, because it is my true story of victory over alcoholism, Hep C, selfishness (a continuing battle) and of course the darker side of my human nature.

I stand a changed man at 3.5 years sober, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude towards AA. Though my father and many friends have lost to the disease of addiction, AA has saved many lives, including my own, and I’m grateful.

It was good to be able to point a friend toward the book, it put it all into perspective. I don’t wish the Hep C on him of course, but I’m glad I’ve already blazed the trail through hell for him to follow, as well as chronicled every step. I hope it helps more than just him.

-JB Smith

Hippopotamus Sea – Hepatitis C, Recovery Memoir – Books4free.com Launch

Posted: May 20, 2010 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

Wow, I remember when I began the project I believed I would finish the rough draft in approximately two weeks, and that was the Christmas break of 2008. One year and a half later, I am finishing up the final edit of my memoirs, having changed all the names, tweaking the ending, and adding the Amends to my mother, who passed from Cancer in 2004, and 3.5 years later, remains the one amends I’ve yet to make, and probably the toughest one of them all, as it ‘s a living amends one that I can not approach face to face. I’m sure I’ll uncover additional amends as I peel back the layers of the onion, but this one will finish the book nicely I believe.

Rand Hopkins told me a week before he died, that I should write the book, and that it would really help me more than anything else. He aslo said to live your dreams because you never know when you may get hit by bus. One week later, and a month after my mom died, Rand Hopkins died, and I stayed behind to continue my struggle with addiction. Man was he right. Finishing this book really helped me put it into perspective.

Using Thoreau’s quote, to summarize , Write as if you’re writing to relatives in a distant land, I was able to really detach myself from public opinion of the book. It’s for me and mine, and it’s  out there to share, if someone would like to read it, and it’s not aimed at pleasing or marketing to the masses, but really I think will be most helpful to those suffering from Hepatitis C, addiction, and of course the awful, but invaluable, Interferon treatment.

That being said, I’d love to sell a million copies, what writer wouldn’t.

Changing the names to protect the innocent bystanders, or others with the disease of alcoholism and or hepatitis C was my least favorite part of this project. Hiding under aliases felt so false, but the attorney and editor both strongly suggested it, and I’m not as headstrong as I once was. I would have much rather, published with all the real, original names though. I believe the story is still good, and solid and true, I just feel like some of the real names had a more poetic feel to them, and the false alias, felt a little fake, but I guess to strangers, who would know the difference. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The process has been long and ardous to get it published as well. The publisher books4free just emailed me to tell me he just recieved the ISBN, and Bar Codes. The cover design editor has finally finished a rough draft that I’m happy with, but she still has some small customizations, and of course, I have to do a couple of small things. Finish final editing of about 90 pages, as well as set up lightning source account, amazon account, and link them all up to the bank accounts. 19.99 looks like it will be the book price for the hard copy, as I’m not trying to rape and pillage anyone, would rather be cheap and sell a bunch, than lose a single sale, and not reach someone. Also, of course, staying true to the name, the book will be available online for free. Hopefully though, this will sell more hard copy and epub formated books. Oh yes, also need to set up smashwords account for epub and digital formats….

So things are moving along, but slowly. The next book will go more smoothly I’m sure, but you’re first baby is always going to entail a learning curve. We’re getting there though.

-JB Smith

books4free.com 10 year birthing pains

Posted: August 10, 2009 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Wow, so this is my first bloggage activity, and I’ve yet to see how this process works, so for all I know I’m writing in the subject line right now. It’s been a long day, I’m an executive recruiter by day and a writer by night, but also trying to finish the editing, and ultimately the publishing of my book through the website and publishing company books4free.com . Hippopotamus Sea is the name of the book, and it’s about the journey of my life. From being born into an abusive alcoholic, albeit, upper middle class, family in the late 1970’s, watched my Dad’s progressive disease as he spiraled downward from drinking Budweiser on a daily basis, to pina colodas, to chugging vodka straight from the bottle, and ultimately on August 22, 1989, putting a .357 to his head and blowing his head off.

I led an intense and crazy adolescent life, flirting with LSD, pot, cocaine, and of course my love, drinking, followed the Dead a little, sold drugs, went in and out of Juvenile Detention in downtown Atlanta where Judge Hatchett would scold me and let me go from time to time, until dropping out of school and dealing drugs, a gun was put to my head, both literally and figuratively. My girlfriend got pregnant, and then while she was 8 months pregnant a gun was put to my head to rob me of the cash I’d brought to a drug deal.

Longer story than can be blogged, eventually bought books4free.com in an early attempt to publish ebooks in 1999, that he’d written about Big Brother and the other wild conspiracy theories he’d floated about in his fragile little mind. I met in the rooms of AA and our stories were so similar we decided to work together.

Bertelsmann offered 20k in 2000 but I declined. Instead, got married, then divorced, and my addictions got worse and worse until I was doing my dying mothers fetinol patches. Once she died, I switched to heroin in one fateful evening, that would ultimately give me Hep C and cause my liver to start failing. I quit the heroin and all opiates after that night, but I continued to drink and things got worse and worse.

I lost my mind. I thought I had a microchip in my ankle, I thought I was an undercover CIA operative, and I was certain I was in hell when alcohol quit working for me in August of 2006.

I went to AA, I believed I was in hell, and my soul would ignite at any moment. I wrote a detailed book about the entire experience, my entire life leading up to that crossroads, and the journey of beating Hep C afterwards, and staying sober, etc.

With 2.5 years of real sobriety now, I’m trying launching the book, putting the final editing touches on the book Hippopotumus Sea and I believe I’m getting close, though the international slowdown in the economy is certainly not helping my progress any.

Oh well, such is life, as Miley says with all her years of wisdom, there is always going to be another hill to climb, always gonna be an uphill battle. Haha, I’m delirious. Day 3 without a cigarette, but it’s all good, I’m sure this too shall pass.

The dynamics of books4free.com will be this:

An unpublished author like myself will be able to post his/her entire book online for free, available to read, but not for download or print, but if they like it, and want to buy the hardcopy they’ll be able to purchase it through the site as well, or purchase the MP3 audio, or of course the ebook, which thanks to Sony, no longer is a monopoly through the kindle. The site, books4free.com, will offer authors the most money back of any self publishing avenue out there, and with the domain as obvious as it is, we will hopefully attract many readers, so that the cream will rise, and the books that aren’t amazing, will fall by the way side. That way when it becomes evident we have a successful writer on our hands, we will be able to act as a literary agent to the traditional brick and mortar publishing houses, and sign our authors up. We will charge less that lulu, iuniverse, or authorhouse, because we’re in it for the authors, not the vanity publishing revenue dollars.

We truly just want great works to be read, without the wall of traditional publishers from blocking them. Emily Dickinson died with 1000’s of pages of works in her attic. This is a place for writers to publish, and be discovered, without being charged an arm and a leg for cover design work, additional editing, consulting, etc. Vanity publishing sells to just that , the egos and vanity of writers, which I assure you can be quite large, but books4free.com and booksforfree.com will be for finished product, to be posted, and viewable for the public to read and judge on their own.

God willing, it won’t take another 10 years to launch anyway. Sometimes when I make plans, God laughs!

– JB Smith

Newer Entries