FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Felisa
Voll; Phone: (877) 676-1615,
Websites: www.hepatitiscfree.com,
www.bradleyquick.com
Authors
Lloyd Wright & Melody Beattie
Kick-Off Hepatitis C Awareness Campaign
with LA Radio Appearance
Wright (Triumph Over Hepatitis C) & Beattie
(Choices and
Codependent No More) to be featured Saturday, January 8th
on the KRLA radio show (870 AM) “The Bradley Quick
Experience” at 11:00 pm in LA
(also LIVE and archived on Internet*)
(Malibu, CA – December 20, 2004) – “Hepatitis
C Awareness has a long way to go,” says author Lloyd
Wright, who likens the situation to the early days of AIDS.
And he knows how bad it is out there. Practically every day,
he talks with the people with Hep C who call his hotline,
and one track of these conversations is the discrimination
faced by “Heppers.” Take Katie, a caller
who was fired from her job as a bartender
for a catering company after her Hepatitis C status became
known. Ironically Katie had mentioned it to a fellow worker
with AIDS as a way to show her support for him. When Wright
spoke to her employer, the man said it was the perception
of the people who hire his catering firm that got Katie fired,
not his own beliefs. The man said he just wanted to stay in
business.
“There’s a lot of Hepatitis C education
that needs to take place, both about how it’s spread**
and patient’s options", observes best-selling
author Melody Beattie, who discovered her Hep C positive status
two years ago after a routine medical exam. “People
with Hep C have been largely on their own to get information
about their rights and choices.”
To make the spotlight shine brighter on the many
facets of Hepatitis C, Lloyd Wright, a best-selling author
himself, decided it was important to bring celebrities like
mega-author Melody Beattie on board. “The reason
I asked Melody to come forward to talk about having Hep C
is that people listen to celebrities,” says Wright.
“Celebrities got involved in the AIDS issue,
and look at how open the discussion about it has become. Hepatitis
C should be the same way.”
Wright and Beattie agree that their campaign needs
to both educate the general public AND reach out
specifically to those who have Hep C. “People with a
Hepatitis C diagnosis need to understand that they didn’t
just receive a death sentence,” notes Beattie. “They
have options, even though the person who gave them their diagnosis
may not be aware of those options.” At present, most
Hep C patients are steered toward Interferon treatment.
A search for alternatives to the standard medical
protocol is what initially brought Beattie into Wright’s
world. His book, Triumph Over Hepatitis C, which has sold
over 200,000 copies, outlines the alternative medical solution
he developed. Over the years, it has been used successfully
by patients around the world. Wright himself had Hep C, contracted
from a blood transfusion after a building site accident. Yet
he handles an incredibly demanding schedule. Commenting earlier
in an Amazon.com book review, Melody wrote: “Lloyd’s
triumph over Hepatitis C is something that I want to identify
with.”
Many other Heppers agree. Lloyd Wright’s hotline [877-676-1615]
and website [www.hepatitiscfree.com]
remain active. Over the years, he has talked to thousands
of patients. However since the disease affects 15
to 25 million people in the U.S. alone, he knows there
are many others he has yet to reach.
One angle of the Hep C story that Wright would like to get
out to more people is what Heppers should avoid in
order to get better or stay well. This includes actions that
are likely to raise their viral load (a measure of
the quantity of Hep C virus in a patient’s blood). “Many
prescription drugs can raise the viral load, including antibiotics
and antidepressants. Another drug that does is Viagra, but
I don’t know anyone else who is talking about that.”
As part of their campaign, Beattie would like to
help others with Hep C get rid of the “bogeyman”
they have in their own heads about having the disease.
“For those of us who contracted Hepatitis C from drug
use, it’s easy to come up from the diagnosis with the
feeling of ‘I deserve it.’ It’s really important
to work through your guilt and any beliefs that block you
from being whole. Understanding that we are still lovable,
and can give and receive love, is a huge piece of making peace
with having Hepatitis C.”
The teaming of Wright and Beattie offers Hep C patients
hope through their example. Both are vital, active people
despite their Hep C diagnosis. “If you get
Hep C, it is possible to make choices and take action so that
you eventually die from something else, rather than from the
Hepatitis,” says Beattie. “People need
to be empowered to make the choices that are right for them,
and they can’t do that unless they are aware of all
of their options. Information truly is power.”
*
“The Bradley Quick Experience” is a KRLA radio
call-in show [870 AM] in Los Angeles that addresses issues
pertinent to people in recovery from addictions. The show
is hosted by Bradley Quick, author of Help Your Self. On Saturday
January 8th, callers can ask Lloyd and Melody questions LIVE
by dialing 1-866-870-5752. At www.bradleyquick.com,
people anywhere in the country can listen to the show LIVE
or to an archived version. An earlier show with Lloyd [11/06/04]
is also available there.
**
The Hepatitis C virus is spread thru contact with Hepatitis
C-infected blood. Common methods of transmission include injection
drug use, blood transfusions, and medical procedures. The
virus is NOT spread merely through casual contact such as
sneezing, coughing, hugging or sharing food, eating utensils
or drinking glasses. People need not be excluded from work
or school because of their Hep C status. Studies have found
a lack of evidence for sexual transmission.
For more information about Hepatitis C, go to the website
www.hepatitiscfree.com,
and read Wright’s book Triumph Over Hepatitis C. The
book is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com
and www.LloydWright.org
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