Your stories
Laura
“I had no idea what to do or how to apply for the Infected Blood Support Scheme so I reached out to The Hepatitis C Trust helpline.”
Christina
“I hope that we all see justice served. It has taken too long already.”
Stuart
“I am so grateful to still be here and I will continue to campaign for justice for everyone who has been impacted by the infected blood scandal.”
Helen
“The peer model is amazing; it shouldn’t stop when we reach hepatitis C elimination.”
Joan
“It was eye opening to learn that the risks of infected blood were well known decades before my operation.”
Matt
“I found out that one of the blood transfusions had given me hepatitis C.”
Stephen
“What has happened in the UK as far as hepatitis C is concerned is the most dramatic change in my career.”
Nasim
“I found out I contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in Pakistan.”
Andy
“The peers are at the centre of everything we do.”
Sara
“After I was cured, I wanted to give back and keep up my recovery.”
Jackie
“Working as a volunteer at The Hepatitis C Trust has turned my life around.”
Faith
“It doesn't have to be an ‘us and them’ situation where healthcare is on one side and patients are on the other.”
Joanne
“Having someone who has been there and is quite open with their past breaks down that barrier.”
Vinnie
“It feels good to have a voice and know that my experiences can help change things for the better.”
Anna
“Not only did I have this virus I’d barely heard of, but I’d passed it on to my daughter.”
Connor
“I didn’t know that I had the virus until I came to prison and was given a test.”
Shabana
“I asked if there was anything else it could be, anything that was left that I had not been tested for.”
Ambrose
“Having tried so many different drugs, it’s hard to know at what point I contracted hepatitis C.”
Grant
“I hadn’t realised that getting a tattoo in prison would put me at risk. I now know differently.”
Misbah
“People may not know that they could be at risk of hepatitis C if they received medical treatment in Pakistan.”
Nicola
“Taking part in the Infected Blood Inquiry changed my life.”
Liz
“I like to think that we offer our peers a helping hand onto that rung of the ladder that will help them gain employment.”
Jim
“People prefer to speak to someone that knows what it’s like to be where they are.”
Stuart
“It’s seeing patients’ lives transformed.”
Huggy
“It's love, care, compassion and consistent support.”
Julia
“It’s about the look of relief on a patient’s face.”
Zoe
“We’ve walked in their shoes, and we now walk alongside them to get them to where we are.”
Lee
“When we go into the prison and share our lived experience of the criminal justice system, the walls just drop.”
Archie
“It becomes quite rewarding to see the growth in confidence and self-esteem when volunteers start engaging with projects.”
Samantha
“They often started the call so quiet and nervous - and by the end of the call they’d be chatting away freely and happily.”
Philip
“I encourage everyone to test more regularly for STIs and blood-borne viruses.”