Case study

Sue, an ex-drama teacher, mother of four and a grandmother, lives in Bolton.

When she was 20, she and her partner started experimenting with drugs; injecting heroin and amphetamines, sometimes sharing needles with other users. 

In 1979 they both got hepatitis, but this was before the hepatitis C strain had been discovered and they had no idea of the risks they were taking.  Sue’s GP told her to avoid fatty foods and alcohol and to rest. After several months her symptoms subsided but no-one warned her that the virus could still be in her body, slowly destroying her liver.

In 2003, Sue went for a routine medical for a life insurance policy and it was then that she discovered that she had hepatitis C. After undergoing numerous tests, including a liver biopsy, and seeing several consultants she was told that she would be offered treatment but only if she stopped consuming alcohol.

After a year without alcohol, Sue finally began treatment in July 2006.  The treatment wasn’t easy and she experienced numerous side effects but Sue was determined to complete the 48 week course. In February 2008 she was declared clear of the virus.

“Being diagnosed, treated and cleared of the hepatitis C virus has been a life changing experience for me. I have given up drinking alcohol completely, given up my teaching job and am now retraining. There’s no point in walking around feeling terrible shame and regret. You can’t alter the past but you don’t have to let it kill you."

“Yes, I made mistakes, but I’ve moved on and I’ve changed my life.”