Shropshire Star

'It was hell on earth': Telford father tells of battle with hepatitis C

A man unknowingly suffering from a life-threatening illness today spoke of his decision to become the face of a national campaign.

Published

Tim Palin was living with the serious blood condition hepatitis C, the diagnosis of which turned his life upside down.

After a successful but difficult treatment plan, the Telford father-of-two has so far overcome the worst effects of the illness that he describes as "hell on earth".

Now Tim is the face of the national campaign I'm Worth that supports patients by raising awareness of the condition to ensure better medical care and by tackling the stigma that is often linked to the illness.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that affects an estimated 214,000 people in the UK. It is estimated that half of those are unaware they have it. It is passed on through contact with the blood, or less commonly, body fluids of an infected person.

Tim, 46, explained how a lifestyle he enjoyed as a young man led to the devastating positive blood test results he received three years ago.

He said: "When I was in my teens to about 20 I was into body building as a hobby. I was injecting steroids and that must have been how I contracted hepatitis C. That's the only thing I can think of that could have caused it as I used to share syringe vials with others. We didn't realise the implications of what we were doing at the time.

"I didn't think I had hepatitis, but three years ago I took a finger prick blood test at my GP surgery and was told it came back positive.

"It turned out that I also had severe cirrhosis of the liver even though I hadn't been drinking alcohol since I was 25, meaning that I must have had hepatitis for many years without knowing it. I had to start treatment straight away. I had one year to live if it didn't clear from my system.

"I found the treatment very hard and it really affected my personality. The medication made me aggressive which caused difficulties at home. I would describe it as hell on earth.

"Once I got the diagnosis I was put on a 48-week plan, almost a year of my life, but it also saved my life. I'm clear of it and I can't transfer the virus to other people any more. I do have to be careful about what I eat and I can't drink alcohol because of the damage hepatitis C causes to my liver."

Since then the treatment has been changed which is much better for the patients to cope with. Tim avoids fatty foods and he can't have antibiotics either.

In addition Tim, of Leegomery, suffers from angina problems and previously had three heart attacks. But he has not let his health issues stop him from helping others in the community to overcome theirs. He also fears that many from the so-called "baby boomer" generation may unknowingly be living with hepatitis C.

He helps out at Telford Aftercare (TACT) based in Wellington with mentoring, school talks and visits to community groups about substance abuse prevention. This work has led to him being chosen to be the face of the I'm Worth campaign.

The campaign sponsored and developed by Gilead Sciences is being backed by Liver4Life, Adfam, Blenheim CDP, Addaction, British Liver Trust, African Eye Trust and the Africa Advocacy Foundation

More information on the campaign is available at www.imworth.co.uk

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