In 2024, a routine visit to the GP surgery turned into the shock of a lifetime for Marion Hemmerdinger, when a blood test revealed that she had hepatitis C.
Marion couldn’t understand how this was possible, until her GP asked if she had received a blood transfusion before 1996. She realised that she had, in 1979, and this was the cause of her contracting the virus.
“I didn’t know that the virus could be cured”, admitted Marion. “It seems silly now, but I thought that I might die with it.”
If left untreated, hepatitis C can cause serious, potentially life-threatening damage to the liver. But with modern treatments, it’s usually possible to cure the infection.
After receiving her diagnosis, Marion was referred to UHL’s specialist team at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. However, the hospital is an hour’s drive from her home in Appleby Magna, near Ashby de la Zouch in north west Leicestershire, with no direct bus service available into the city.
That was when Marion was told about UHL’s mobile treatment clinic, which brought a cure for the virus directly to her door.
Run in partnership with the Hepatitis C Trust, the clinic operates from a van, which carries the equipment and personnel required to test and monitor patients, making sure that more people can be diagnosed and treated at their homes, or at a convenient location in the community.
Clinical Nurse Specialist, William Jenkins, became Marion’s named nurse, and visited her at home regularly to carry out blood tests, keeping her updated as she successfully completed a 12-week course of treatment.
“William reassured me throughout and made me feel so much better. He explained that once you’re diagnosed, you can take a simple tablet, one every day. I followed everything that he advised me to do, and I didn’t have any side effects from the tablets”, said Marion.
“William always kept me updated, calling me with the results of every blood test so that I knew that everything was on track.
“It was such a relief when I was given the all-clear. It’s a success story, and I want to raise awareness, so that more people in my position can be treated and cured too.”
James Spear, Hepatitis C Network Management Lead at UHL, said: “Our mobile treatment clinic is priceless for reaching patients across the region. Working with the Hepatitis C Trust to provide this service enables us to reach more patients who have the virus, treat them and cure them.”
Blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis C, are among the priorities included in the 2024-25 UHL Prevention Report.