ERIC: I had hepatitis A and it hurt like hell. At first I thought it was the flu so I let it go and laid low. After a week of going from feeling bad to feeling worse to feeling extreme pain 24/7, I finally went to the doctor and she noticed I was turning yellow. After the blood test confirmed it was hepatitis A, I had no other choice but wait it out and suffer. (Did I mention that I didn't have insurance? Yeah, so I got kicked 3 times -- once by the virus, next by the doctor bill and finally by missing 2 weeks of work. Ouch.) As for the virus, don't ask me how I got it. I was in a monogamous relationship and, luckily, my boyfriend didn't get sick. But my roommates all had to get expensive shots of immunoglobulin. All around, it was a sucky experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. When it was all over, it was too late to get hepatitis A vaccine. But I went and got my 3 hep B shots because there's no way I'm going through that again.

Eric's story is true. He has volunteered for the Hep Squad to help make sure that gay and bisexual men in Seattle know that they can choose vaccine instead of hepatitis A and B.

ALEX: "I used to think hepatitis A was something you just dealt with when it came up. Then I got it..." Hepatitis A was my worst nightmare. What started out like the flu, got worse and worse to the point where one day I practically collapsed at work. I had the usual symptoms - fever, nausea, absolutely no appetite and tired as a dog - then a blood test confirmed that I had somehow picked up the hep A virus. The bad news was that once the virus had a hold of my liver, there were no drugs that could make it go away. I just had to wait it out. That meant lying in bed for a week-completely wrecked. It meant getting so dehydrated I had to get an IV drip to give me the fluids I couldn't keep down. It meant almost ending up in the hospital. It meant I lost a month of my life to an inane little virus. A sex buddy of mine had to get immunoglobulin shots but luckily no one actually got hep A from me. Thank God for my friends! When I was sick, they saw me through the worst of it. Imagine how I would've felt if one of them had gotten it too? Hey, in case you're wondering, I was practicing safer sex and I still got this thing. Now I'm immune to hep A, still playing safe and I went and got my 3 hep B shots too. Because given the choice, I know I'd rather have vaccine than hepatitis.

Alex' story is true. He has volunteered for the Hep Squad to help make sure that gay and bisexual men in Seattle know that they can choose vaccine instead of hepatitis A and B.

DAVE: "Whether you've got hepatitis C or HIV, hepatitis A and B are two nasty bugs you don't want to get." When I found out I had hepatitis C, I didn't know what to think. I was scared and confused. It was an emotional time and sometimes I didn't know if I was going make it. Now I've learned that having hep C isn't a death sentence. For me, it was a wake-up call - like "Hey Dave, you better take care of yourself!" So, I've changed some things in my life to try and protect my health and my liver. One of the easiest things that I've done was to get both of the hepatitis A and B vaccines. I don't have to worry about getting hep A or B and that's a load off my mind. The last thing I want is to get another virus attacking my liver on top of hep C. Now I want to help others, maybe share a little of what I've learned. For instance, most people don't know it but you can have hep C and live a healthy life for a long time - as long as you're looking after yourself. That means reducing your chances of getting hepatitis, HIV, or other nasty infections. So, if you snort or shoot drugs, don't share straws, syringes, or any other "works." That includes cottons, cookers, tourniquets, and rinse water. And use a new syringe when you "piggy back" or "backload." Why risk it? Protect your health - and get the A and B vaccines.

Dave's story is true. He works for Project NEON, which helps gay & bi men avoid the pitfalls of crystal meth by providing educational information, free one-on-one counseling, and a variety of groups.