The founder of the Body shops, has hep C.

A friend in England sent this to me. I thought I'd pass it on.
February 21, 2007
Body Shop Founder Living with Hepatitis C
As anyone familiar with the virus knows, Hepatitis C does not
discriminate.
A highly successful British businesswoman and founder of The Body Shop, has
publicly announced that she is living with HCV, which has progressed to cirrhosis of the liver. She has made her health concerns public as a
"whistleblower" so Hepatitis C would be taken more seriously as a public health challenge, and would get the attention and resources it needs.

Roddick suffering from Hepatitis C
Wed Feb 14 2007
www.itv.com

Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick has revealed she is suffering from
Hepatitis C.

Dame Anita said: "I have Hepatitis C. It's a bit of a bummer but you
groan
and move on. I had no idea that I had this virus. I was having routine
blood
tests when it showed up."

She added: "What I can say is that having Hep C means that I live with a sharp sense of my own mortality, which in many ways makes life more vivid and immediate. It makes me even more determined to just get on with
things."

[wyntre9]

Thanks for the post.

She's a brave lady to go so public.  (guess she can afford to?)

Still, that doesn't minimize her contribution.

Ironic, though, isn't it?  

[Forseegood]

thanks for this, she's done a lot of good through her charitable campaigns, I hope she can on top of it, however she can...in case anyone is interested, she thinks she prob got it through blood transusion while having her daughter in 1971, and she's 65...

[wyntre9]

how sad.  :(

[frecklesmom]

theres so many people you wouldnt believe if it's not active a lot of people that you dont hear about still have the virus in their bodies, out of 7 siblings i have 2 bro and 2 sis who have it, some different geno types, im the only one who has it active-imagine i didnt party enough for it to clear!

[wyntre9]

got you beat.  i have 8 (siblings)

i'm the only one with the virus but I am the black sheep.

(BTW, still don't get the connection between blowing your nose and Hep-C.)

[bobbyullc]

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GET HEP C RECOGNIZED AND PEOPLE TOO REALIZE IT IS NOT THE BLACK PLAGUE IS TOO COME OUT AND DISCUSS IT WITH PEOPLE. NO STIGMA OR THREAT. A VIRUS. PERIOD.

[wyntre9]

I was joking.  :)

[najeen]

This was posted a few weeks back but thanks for posting it again because I can't find it in the archives.

[najeen]

If only ...

[Myown]

Thanks for letting us know. I found this article. I'm on my way out the door so I didn't get time to read the article you posted,this may have same info.

It's sad news, but she is definitely going full speed ahead to raise awareness. I'm sure that many will get tested after reading she has it as I'm sure everyone of her body shops will be used for 'awareness' in some way.

More and more people will now see this is not just an IV drug users disease.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/15/nroddick15.xml

[orphanedhawk]

  I think its important for HCV to be more visible. My kids knew lots about HIV/AIDS from school. They didn't know anything about HCV. I live in a so-called progressive area and yet some health program on the local radio refers to HCV and drug addicts in the same sentence. People stumble over HCV because they don't know anything about it.
   I'm pleased whenever a celebrity is brave enough to be honest about having hep instead of hiding it.

[frecklesmom]

my mind is foggy but it has to do with the tiny capillaries in the nose and the danger of bleeds(hemorrhages) i will try to find publication to refer you to

[SandyBreeze]

Ms. Roddick: "It makes me even more determined to just get on with
things."
Spoken like a true Brit!  She would not be where she is today, business-wise, if she wasn't a strong determined person.  I'm pleased she is speaking out and 'up'!

[frecklesmom]

god bless her! unfortunately a lot of people with hcv arent well enough to "just get on with things"

[ladybug52]

I've decided to be a little more pro-active on the raising awareness in my community. I have to admit, listening to others on the forum has made me braver, and less sensitive. I'm now telling people and if they can't deal with it, it's not my problem, but theirs. I still don't tell the people I work with because I don't want to deal with the repurcussions. Little steps for now, perhaps when we march on Washington together, I'll look back on this and laugh!

[worry06]

Do you know when they will march to Washington?  I hope very soon to raise the awareness before half of the population get infected.  Some people who I talked to  don't know about hepatitis they thought it is same as diabete !

[ladybug52]

OH do you have a date or time line on this?:)
Worry: it's nothing definite yet that I'm aware of. I know of a group who are raising hep c awareness in Kansas City with a quilt.

[orphanedhawk]

I don't have a date, are you interested? LOL.  I have lots of ideas. Forget the quilt, that will always be AIDS in my mind. However, I'm in support of anything to raise awareness. More later.