Claire is a freelance HR Director, was diagnosed with Hepatitis B in 1979 and has been under the care of King’s Liver Unit in London since. Through wellbeing and lifestyle changes, along with starting tenofovir in 2010, her health has significantly improved, with a 2023 scan showing no liver scarring. She now advocates for the rights of people living with Hepatitis B and has been on clinical trial to potentially eliminate the virus.
Part 1 - Companions - 25th July 2025
I’m Claire, a liver patient at King’s College Hospital, London.
Stupidly, I’d suffered in silence since 1979 when I discovered I had Hepatitis B.
It was mostly because of the stigma: people might think I was a druggie or a slag. People don’t get that more than 90% of us inherited it from our mothers. It occurred to me, sitting in the waiting area for my next appointment, that everyone in the queue was probably going through the same.
Being a daft Northerner, I talk to strangers and I got chatting to the guy opposite. We were both going through clinical trials to eliminate the virus.
Turns out he knew more about how it all worked and we realised others would benefit from understanding more.
We started WhatsApping (that’s a word?), and I added some of the doctors into the group. Kosh, world renowned liver guru, got wind and thought we should set up a proper charity like the Terence Higgins Trust (for HIV) and the Hep C Trust. Bucket loads of new Hep B patients were being discovered through the Emergency Department opt out (that’s A&E in old money).
You are tested for blood borne viruses now unless you say you don’t want to. Most of what’s Googled is tosh, so we started with a website. It’s taken us awhile but we’re registering with the Charity Commission.
Today, I’ve started my Liveroo Journal. I want to share what’s on my mind, the fight for more funds and what progress we’re making.
We’re Hep B Companion. What do we want? Support, info, cure.
Part 2 - Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll - 30th July 2025
Coming soon