Former Olympian Sharron Davies calls for justice after mum dies from contaminated blood
Watch Sharron Davies talk to ITV News about losing her mum after she received contaminated blood
A former Olympian from Devon who's mother died after contracting Hepatitis C after receiving a blood transfusion is calling for "justice" for victims given contaminated products.
Sharron Davies, a former Olympic silver medallist from Plymouth, is calling for compensation for families of those affected but admits "no amount of money" can bring her mother, Sheila Davies, back.
Sheila contracted hepatitis C after receiving a blood transfusion during an operation for gallstones in the 1970s.
The condition damaged her liver to such an extent that she developed liver cancer. She died in 2017, aged 78.
She is one of 30,000 people in the UK to be infected with HIV or Hepatitis C after receiving. contaminated blood during the 1970s and 1980s.
Sharron said: “Mum was a private person and we kept fairly private about this as a family.
"It was a struggle and Hepatitis C is a little bit like the silent killer.
"When you first get it you often don't know you've got it so it can take anywhere between 10 or 20 years before the symptoms start to come out and that very much affects your liver.
"With my mum it led to liver cancer and she died in 2017 after taking drugs which affected her life for about 25 years.
"She was somebody that didn't take; she gave. I think towards the end she felt very let down because she was almost written off because of her age.
"She eventually spent some of her savings to see specialists on Harley Street who said if she'd come to her earlier they could've done something about it
"by then it was too late so they offered her drugs which might prolong her life but she didn't want that so we gave her a very dignified death at the end.
"My mum didn't smoke, she didn't drink, she hardly left the country, she'd come up to visit me and help me with the children.
"She worked for the Ministry of Defence and was a civil servant until she was 70, she never took days off sick unless she couldn't get out of bed.
"I'm sure she would've still been around because she was a very bright lady, worked really hard, my dad's still here at 88 - we're a family that tends to live quite a long time.
"No amount of money brings mum back and I'd have loved for her to have seen her great grandchildren."
In the 1970s, there was a shortage of blood products used to treat bleeding disorders like haemophilia in the UK.
It meant products were bought from the US which received its donations from a variety of sources including prisons.
Donations were not tested for Hepatitis C or HIV and blood products from these sources were used in medical practices until 1991.
More than 30,000 people have been infected in the UK because of the blood contamination which has led to nearly 3,000 deaths.
A public inquiry into what has been called the biggest treatment disaster in NHS history will announce its findings later this month.
Sharron, 61, said she is speaking out in the hope it'll help people get support following the "horrendous scandal."
She said: "The World Health Organisation gave warnings in 1975 and World In Action did a big programme in 1975 as well so it's not as if we didn't know about this and it was 1991 before they started testing the blood.
"A lot of the blood that was coming to the UK was coming from prisons in Arkansas and they were batching it - basically just throwing all the blood together and contaminating the lot.
"I just want to see justice for people right now who are still struggling and for people who were ignored for such a long time.
"The compensation still isn't there particularly for those that are dying right now who really need the help.
"This must not be happening to other people. People must not be dying without the support they desperately need. I just want to see the lid open on this horrendous scandal.
"If you do need help there are things around like the Hepatitis Trust and the [Haemophilia Society]. Don't suffer in silence, there are people who want to help you.
"Let's talk about this, let's get all the horrible details out there and get the help for people who desperately need it."
In October 2022 the Government announced interim payments of £100,000 for infected beneficiaries and bereaved partners who were registered with any of the four UK-infected blood support schemes.
A government spokesperson has previously described the scandal as an "appalling tragedy".
“We have consistently accepted the moral case for compensation, and that’s why we have tabled an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill which enables the creation of a UK-wide Infected Blood Compensation Scheme and establishes a new arms-length body to deliver it.
“We will continue to listen carefully to those infected and affected about how we address this dreadful scandal.”
The final infected blood inquiry report is due to be published on 20 May 2024.