CAMPAIGNER CALLS FOR VICTIM SUPPORT
Bruce Norval was diagnosed with haemophilia when he was just three and believes, by the time he was six, he already had hepatitis. Although experts have been unable to tell the dad of two exactly when he received contaminated blood, he believes he was infected during his first treatment with Factor 9 clotting agent. The events have had a devastating
impact on the campaigner’s life. He said: “I’ve been unable to work for the past 20 years. On the day I was told I had hepatitis, my wife was five months pregnant and I was working.
“I was terrified for my wife and unborn child and I was working in the NHS so it was an end to my career too.”
Bruce has given Theresa’s book his full support and said it is important to remind people about the scandal, which affected tens of thousands of people. He said: “The scale
of this is massive and to incorporate this element into a story is something I wholeheartedly support.”
Bruce also wants more support for victims and is calling for compensation panels to be set up for the “mass slaughter” of haemophiliacs.
He said: “I want to see an end to the punishment of victims financially. I want to see compensation panels set up and the greatest way we can learn about this is for information to make its way to the public and to hear about people who have, against incredible odds, made a life for themselves.”