GET TESTED! - Celebs back Pleasley woman's Get Tested! Hepatitis C campaign

By Adam Raistrick

A Pleasley Vale woman is spearheading a national campaign to raise awareness of Hepatitis C –– and has already got the support of a number of celebrities. Shelly Preston has set up Get Tested! after a close friend contracted the blood disease, which attacks the liver and can often be left undiscovered for years due to a lack of obvious symptoms.

And as well as receiving the support of celebrities Zoe Ball, former London mayor Ken Livingstone and music industry mogul Alan McGee, Shelly is also hoping a fundraising trip to party island Ibiza will help more people to understand the condition.

"My friend Gemma has had the disease for several years and I had no idea what Hepatitis C was before then," said Shelly.

"She went through a treatment very similar to chemotherapy, which was a really horrible thing for her to have to go through and unfortunately it didn't work for her.

"She now works for The Hepatitis C Trust in London and it has been really moving and inspirational to see what she has done.

"As a friend there's very little you can do other than be there for them and I wanted to help more, that's when I came up with this idea for Get Tested! because if you get tested early there are drugs and treatments available."

Shelly will now be embarking on a green adventure with 10 other volunteers to travel from London to Ibiza in just four days without planes or cars, using as small a carbon footprint as possible.

"We're going to be using trains, bikes and anything else we can find as well as being in fancy dress all the way!" said Shelly.

"When we arrive there is a dance summit which was created by (Radio1 DJ) Pete Tong with lots of bands and record company representatives there –– we'll be doing a talk and showing a short film as well as trying to get some funds for The Hepatitis C Trust."

The Get Tested! scheme –– which is being run with the help of the Hepatitis C Trust –– aims to increase awareness across the country of the ways in which Hepatitis C can be contracted and the importance of getting tested.

Said Shelly: "The problem is that people are passing it around in situations where they expect to get it, it can be as innocent as sharing a toothbrush or razor, to young people going to parties and getting up to things associated with that. Mothers can even pass it on to their children in the womb.

"It's really simple to get tested, just go to your doctors and they'll give you a blood test and then let you know when they get the results, and the Hepatitis C Trust are always on hand to offer help and support."

To sponsor Shelly on her trip across europe visit www.justgiving.com/shellypreston