My story Hepatitis C

A bit about me: I found out that I had "Non A Non B" virus in the mid 80's. No one really need knew anything about the Hepatitis C virus. I have a rare blood type, so I gave blood many times. Those days they didn't test blood for this deadly virus.

I don't know many people got the Hepatitis C virus from the blood I donated before the blood test became routine.

Both my ex husband and I had the strain (Genotype 1A) The most difficult strain to get rid of. The doctor's don't call it a cure, instead it is called a Sustained Viral response. Many people do relapse after the treatment.

I had Hepatitisa C and my ex husband had the same strain(genotype) A few years ago his brother and his mother were all diagnosed with Hepatitis C. (Different strains) My ex mother-in-law ended up with liver cancer,which was most likely from the virus. She had surgery for liver cancer last year. So far so good. This was a family with four people diagnosed with this virus.

I still have post treatment side effects from the treatment. The treatment was so hard on me, I looked like a walking corpse, gray pallor. I know I would have died if I would have continued the treatment. I am disabled now with neurological and other side effects from the treatment.

That is my personal story of living with a deadly virus. I was disabled by the treatment. My treatment laster 8 months, but usually the doctor's recommend a one year treatment program. I still have joint pain, severe chronic fatique and other residual symptoms.

I was a High-Risk Ultrasound technologist for at least 25 before I began the treatment October 4th, 2003.

I hope we can work together to get a better "cure" rate and help people who have been recently diagnosed with this virus.

I would like to meet:

Dr Richard Darling from the FAIR Foundation