ABOVE THE DIN (Diary of the HepC Wonder Drugs) by Labar Laskie – Memoir, Hepatitis C Cure, Insightful and Transformative Non-Fiction

Labar Laskie closely explores the experience of chronic HepC in her unique memoir, Above the Din.

These days, Hepatitis C infection is curable with a simple treatment that lasts only a few months. In 1999, when author Labar Laskie receives her diagnosis, she sees no good option. The only possibility for a cure lies in a treatment with dismally low success rates and poses a significant danger. Not wanting to jeopardize her life, Labar embarks on a fifteen-year-long search for an alternative cure, hoping to find a wonder drug. Her waiting ends in 2014 when she begins her three-month-long treatment of two pills daily while keeping a journal of each day’s progress.

She goes through a string of doctors, many urging her to do the toxic treatment.

Labar tries every alternative treatment under the sun, but only if they don’t pose any known adverse effects. Eventually, she meets Dr. Right, who supports her choice to pursue other treatments. They work together on her care for over a decade. During this time, Labar and her young daughter become hooked on flying trapeze. The activity helps her manage the mental strain of her chronic illness. These precious moments with her daughter make the journey to recovery doable.

Above the Din‘s short, easy-to-read chapters come accompanied with illustrations by Lona Powell.

Humor and honesty abound in this story despite the grim topic of severe chronic disease. Labar’s years of research and connecting with people like her provide valuable insight and knowledge. Beyond that, she does an excellent job of including disclaimers about not being a medical professional herself and for people to do their own research. Her purpose for writing this story is to help others find strength, hope, and inspiration.

As Labar’s story progresses, the past and present intermingle.

Her early days dealing with shock and fear juxtapose her abundant present-day knowledge and wonder drug treatment. The best example of this comes in the chapter where Labar learns the extent of her liver disease. The treatment is working. This takes the uncertainty of the end of her Hepatitis C story away and enables her to focus on the journey itself.

Something positive comes out of her Hepatitis C diagnosis: through trapeze, Labar learns to overcome her fears and stand up for herself instead of just going along with the opinions of others to keep the peace. Hopefully, Hepatitis C will be outdated one day, but these critical lessons Labar learns along the way are universal.