This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.
When Aidan Bungey was diagnosed with hepatitis C, she feared her dream of becoming a pilot was over. But a new treatment has her reaching for the skies again.
Since childhood, Aidan Bungey has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Every Saturday, the Liverpool University student gets up at 5am to climb into a two-seater PA38 Tomahawk with her instructor and take to the skies as part of her flight training. A few years ago though, it seemed unlikely the 21-year-old would make it to college, let alone achieve her career goals.
While still in the womb, Aidan was infected with the blood-borne hepatitis C virus from a transfusion her mother Sally* received to treat Crohn’s, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Tainted blood
Aidan and her mother are victims of contaminated blood, a scandal that has affected thousands of others including those with haemophilia who received clotting products from the US in the 1970s and 1980s. In the UK, blood screening was not introduced by the NHS until September 1991 because no test was available before then.
Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/health/i-will-never-forget-day-i-found-i-hepatitis-c/