Doctors once told Pamela Anderson she only had 10 years left to live

Pamela Anderson is reflecting on one of the most difficult times of her life: Her hepatitis C diagnosis.

Last month, the “Baywatch” alum was awarded amfAR’s Award of Courage at a gala in Venice, Italy, where she gave a speech on the harrowing diagnosis. Anderson revealed she was told by her doctor that she only had 10 years to live.

“It was a death sentence,” she said according to NBC News. “I’m sure that colored and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out.”

For context, hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and can lead to serious damage to the organ, according to the Mayo Clinic. Meanwhile, amfAR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending HIV/AIDS. Hepatitis C is frequently a co-infection with AIDS.

Anderson continued: “It stays with me; it haunts me. And just like the sexual abuse that I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: damaged goods. And I presented myself as such.”

When the 59-year-old actor was diagnosed, there was no cure for hepatitis C. She revealed she had the viral infection in 2002, claiming she contracted it from sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee. ”Tommy has the disease and never disclosed it to me during our marriage," she said in a statement at the time, per CNN.

In 2011, a cure for the hepatitis C became available. Anderson officially became hepatitis C free in 2015.

“I was lucky,” Anderson said in her speech before amfAR. “I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it. It wasn’t covered by insurance yet, and I felt tremendous guilt that others weren’t granted the same access.”

As of late, Anderson’s acting career has been thriving. She recently starred in “The Last Showgirl,” “The Naked Gun,” “Rosebush Pruning” and “Place to Be.”

“My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts. It gave me the ammunition I needed, a fertile life to use and play in,” Anderson said. “I’m not a victim. I’m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of. ... I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.”