Proclamation Page Hepatitis C Awareness

Sandi at " The 2nd Canadian Conference on Hepatitis C "
Vancouver, B.C. March 27-30, 2004

History of the Hepatitis C Ribbons



In December, 1995, two ribbons- a wide red (representing blood) ribbon with a narrow yellow (representing the liver) ribbon, were fastened with the Canadian flag pin to promote awareness of Hepatitis C. 


Hep C Awareness Ribbons and pins are available from Smilin' Sandi :) at
the Durham Hepatitis C Support Group meetings in Whitby, Ontario.

Quilts

Since 1996, the International Hep-C Quilts have been sewn together by hep c victim, Marie Stern from San Diego, California as her way of helping the Hep C community.  Each 12-by-12 inch patch represents the life of someone who is still fighting the disease, and those whose lives have been lost to HCV have a black ribbon added. The five quilts are displayed at various functions to raise awareness about this silent epidemic.

Smilin' Sandi, Founder of the Durham Hepatitis C Support Group featured Quilt #1
April 29-30, 2005 at St. Mark's United Church 25th Annual Quilt Show.
 

Hepatitis C Awareness Events 2001-2008

World Hepatitis Day 2008

" Sandi's Crusade Against Hepatitis C "  is proud to support World Hepatitis Day taking place on
Monday, May 19, 2008.  Together with over 200 patient groups from around the world, we are pledging our support to the first truly global awareness event for chronic viral hepatitis B and C.  1 in 12 people are living with HBV or HCV, including 600, 000 Canadians.

Approximately 500 million people worldwide are affected by hepatitis B or C and the majority of those infected do not know. 1.5 million people die every year from either hepatitis B or C. Hepatitis C is 10 times, and hepatitis B 100 times, more infectious than HIV.  If left untreated, hepatitis B and C can lead to cirrhosis, and potentially liver cancer, liver failure, the need for transplant and death.

Sunday, May 18, 2008 After the church service, in the Church Hall
Durham Hepatitis C Support Group will have a display table with free "Am I Number 12" promotional items.
" Hepatitis " was featured on the Health and Wellness Committee board and in the church bulletin.

List of Canadian World Hepatitis Day Alliance

Mar. 14, 2008 I spoke in Port Perry, Ont. at a Hep C training workshop for service providers who work with people living with Hep C in the Central East Region (Durham Region, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton).   This opportunity was co-ordinated by the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange and AIDS Durham.  Durham Region was the first stop on CATIE's HCV workshop series road trip across Ontario.  Lunch was provided by the HIV/AIDS program at Scugog Island First Nation Health and Resource Centre. 

2007

Aug. 24, 2007 Teleconference call on a mini strategy on Hep C to identify key needs and prioritize them, determining what is needed immediately in the Central East community (Durham Region, Simcoe County, City of Kawartha Lakes and the Counties of Haliburton, Northumberland and Peterborough )

Hepatitis C educational materials were available during two local events: South Oshawa Community Day, Sat. June 16, 2007 and Canada Day Celebrations, Lakeview Park, Oshawa, Sun. July 1, 2007.

2004

I contributed to a discussion article "It's Good to Talk:  Support groups are a critical part of medical management" in the Oct-Dec. 2004 issue of the Hepatitis Magazine.  On Dec. 3rd, I attended an Ontario Hepatitis C Capacity Building Workshop in T.O.

I attended a meeting Aug. 26, 2004 in T.O. for Ontario based Hepatitis C Organizations with hopes to see collaboration of information and support. 

I am speaking re: Community Group Development:  Successes and Challenges at the 2nd Canadian Conference on Hepatitis C in Vancouver, B.C. Mar. 27-30, 2004.  I will moderate the session on Nutrition, Exercise and Complementary Alternative Medicine as well.
Hepatitis C: Nutrition Care - Canadian Guidelines for Health Care Providers

2003

Oct. 23, 2003 The Hepatitis A Vaccine is now funded by the Ontario gov't for hepatitis C sufferers.

2002

I am featured in an article titled "Mind and Body Connections: Your fight against hepatitis C can be eased if you keep a positive outlook toward your life with the virus," in the Sept./Oct. 2002 issue of the international Hepatitis Magazine.

I will be speaking on a panel along with two other patients-one with HIV, one with HCV/HIV and myself as a person living with HCV at  "Opening Doors".  This is a day conference focusing on AIDS/HIV, HCV and co-infection HIV/HCV in Oshawa, Ontario on Wed. March 6, 2002.  This will be my first public (face to face) debut on Hepatitis C awareness at a conference.

Through my proclamation request to the Regional Chair for Durham, May 1st, 2002 was declared officially
Hepatitis C Awareness Day for ALL of Durham Region (pop. ~500,000).  Activities planned for May: I have been asked by the principal of my son's new school to do a presentation on Hepatitis C, coinciding with the Gr. 7's Hepatitis B immunization shots scheduled for April 30th. In conjunction with the Ontario Curriculum Healthy Living: Growth and Development program, I will be involved in educating the Gr. 7 & 8 students about Hepatitis C. On May 5th 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. the Parish nurse at St. Mark's will read a Wellness Minute that I wrote to commemorate all those people infected with or affected by Hepatitis C.

2001

My website is featured as "Our Favourite Sites" in an article titled "World Wide (Hep) Web" of the November/December, 2001 issue of the Hepatitis Magazine. A special thanks to my dear husband who encouraged me to make this first public presence in this international magazine. 
 

More Pages on Sandi's Site

Durham Hepatitis C Support Group
"HCV- The Taboo Subject" by Sandi Copyright 1998
Hepatitis C Counselling Guidelines
"Hepatitis C" Essay by Sandi's son Copyright 2000
Medical Research Page
Memorial Page
Sandi's Proclamation Page for Hepatitis C Awareness
Sandi's Story Copyright 1997
Sandi's Tests/Results/Updates Copyright 1995-2008
Transplant Page

This website is maintained by Smilin' Sandi, HCV Volunteer Advocate,
providing Hepatitis C information and support worldwide since 1997.

Smilin' Sandi does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites. 
Outside  Links will open in a new window.

Email Listowner/Moderator Smilin' Sandi for a personal invite to join
the Yahoo CANHepC list for current Hep C info and private online support.

Updated: 07/17/08