18 May 2009 will mark the first day of National Hepatitis Awareness week. The week is coordinated nationally by Hepatitis Australia with the support of state and territory hepatitis organisations. Awareness raising events and activities will occur throughout the week across the country

Hepatitis B and C are the most common of the notifiable blood borne diseases in Australia. These conditions are a major public health issue and represents a significant health burden for those affected.

Over 200,000 people in Australia are affected by Hepatitis C. Of this group, at least 20 per cent are expected to develop cirrhosis of the liver and of these, approximately 25 percent will require a liver transplant or will die from liver failure.

What's on?

Monday 18 May
9.30am – 1.00pm Launch & Forum: Could we all be doing more to prevent hepatitis C? Level 2 Training Area, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, 250-290 Spring Street
Guest speakers include The Honourable Daniel Andrews – the Minister will launch the forum and the week, Dr Jim Hyde - Director of Public Health, Department of Human Services and Assoc Prof Bebe Loff - Head of the Human Rights and Bioethics Unit, Monash Uni

Tuesday 19th May
10.30am – 11.30am Love Your Liver Forum – ACMI Function Space, Federation Square – for people living with hepatitis and those working in the sector
12.00pm – 1.00pm Love Your Liver Lunch – Chocolate Budda – Federation Square – free for people living with hepatitis
1.00pm – 4.00pm Official Launch and Rock Concert – Federation Square Stage

Wednesday 20th May
10.00am – 3.30pm Community Forum – Spotlight on Hepatitis B – ARCSHS 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne

Thursday 21st May
3.00pm – 4.30pm Public Forum – Hepatitis C Discussion – discrimination and advocacy: what is it and what can you do about it? Hepatitis C Victoria, Suite 5, 200 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Further information

For more information and how to RSVP please visit the Hepatitis Victoria website.

• M moved back to Sydney
• A moved in
• I got an infeciton in my jaw and had much pain
• I spent two months in emergency management doing bushfire recovery work
• I went to Sydney for a weekend and cried looking out of the windows and seeing just how much was burnt.
• Was floored by a revelation I am still not sure how to cope with
• Returned to my day job, which changed while I was away
• Starting a Vampire table top on wednesday
• Can go back to the monday L5R apparently I am marrying a Lion death seaker
• Planning on seeing A's Show at the comeedy festival
• Conquest is coming and I am bringing fresh meat to the alter
• Took many photos - they are on my face book if you are interested.
• Discovered once again the tyrrany of distance
• Felt loved.
• drove myself to the emergency room due to blood loss - so not a good idea on many levels.
• had a vein in my arm go bewm when giving blood - not related to the above point.

The Age Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock

• They both do and do not want to put me back on the pill because it can be over three month between periods the lining in the uterus gets too thick and when it eventually seperates I end up haemoraging like I did on the morning of christmas eve. Not fun. 
• They don't want to continue my oral antibiotics as it is ruining my digestive system and I'm always feeling ill so more creams and things for me.
• I have too much testosterone
• They want another ultra sound
• I may have to consider a hysterectomy and HRT

My Aunt Irma passed away several years ago from Pancreatic Cancer, by the time she was diagnosed it had already metastasised into her liver she was given 4 weeks to live at best.  She had had a full medical about a month before the diagnosis and nothing was found, things can change so quickly. She had the most aggressive form of the cancer with a less than 1% survival chance. In then end she lived for nine months, a record for the type of cancer. My Mother and Irma were planning to meet in Hawaii as Irma was doing so well, as Mom lives in Melbourne and Irma was in Vancouver.

Then one Thursday night we got a call Irma had collapsed at the doctors during a check up and things did not look good. I spent 24 hours on the phone trying every airline imaginable to try and get Mom a flight to Vancouver. Finally we got her on a flight that left on the Saturday, the catch was it had a 5 hour stop over in LA. Mom arrived in LA 6 am local time, and in Vancouver 1pm local time. Irma had passed away at just before lunch time.

They both missed out on saying the things they really wanted to because even though they KNEW her time was limited they both thought they would have more time. The right time to say those things is now! You can never say them too early.

I know a few of you out there are gripping with this particular issue of how and when to say goodbye. I don't really feel comfortable offering this sort of advise directly to people because everyone is different and I do not know all of you all that well to know if the advise is welcome or necessary.

So it is just a thought.

And know that I am thinking of you and praying for you and your loved ones.

1. Ashurbanipal Male DSH black and white he was around before I was born and was the mice control mechanism for the blasting hut at the copper mine in Bougainville, he adopted us.

2. Sepik Male DSH grey tabby - Spayed - came from a pet shop in Canada and was evil incarnate we had to surrender him when we moved to Australia as after 6 months of looking could not find a home for him. It might be because vets needed stiches after every time we took him in for his vaccinations.

3. Mufuliar I Male DSH ginger tabby - died two days after we got him as a kitten from pets paradise. The reason I loathe that place. We got him on Christmas Eve, he died Boxing Day.

4. N’Changa Male DSH grey – Spayed - The last kitten at the pet store from an early litter he was just about to be sent to the RSPCA as unwanted because he was not cute enough to sell any more. He was bough by my mother to replace Mufuliar. Died age 11 of Kidney failure.

5. Tammy Female DSH Tabby and white – Given to my by my grade four teacher as her cat had kittens. Died age 1 of car.

6. Mufulira II DSH tabby Male – Spayed – turned up on the window sill as a kitten and adopted us he was the best cat ever! He was my first cat who was truly mine! – Died aged 18 of old age.

7. Chililabombwe Female DSH Torti – Neutered – Was an RSPCA cat we adopted when she was about 1. She was lent to my Aunt and her family when they lived in Perth and wanted a pet. They did not however want a pet they would have to leave in Australia with no home so they borrowed one of ours. They so fell in love with her she moved back to Canada with them and died over there of a broken heart when my Aunt died of cancer she was aged about 14

8. Lilongwe Female DSH blue and salmon Torti – Neutered – RSPCA kitten. She is still alive and living with my parents she is too old to be moved. She is about 17 now, though sadly she is quite ill and I doubt she will live anything more than about 3-6 months.

9. ‘Tswana Female DSH Black – Neutered after one litter – My parents promised us that we could have one cat have kittens ONCE! And ‘Tswana did a littler of four Merry, Pippin, Louis and Douglas. She had a personality bypass when she was neutered and turned very aloof she eventually ran away L

10. Louis Male DSH Tabby and White – Spayed – A kitten of ‘Tswana’s he was lovely and had the softest fur of any cat I have ever met, he was so cute and lovely. He could have been a great cat, but was killed aged 2 by an evil neighbour who made a habit of poisoning local cats.

11. Misha and Caspian DSH Tabby and White – Neutered and Spayed – A feral cat who lived on site near where my Father works had kittens dad recued two, they never really settled down and aged about 1 the boy Caspian ran away, well stopped coming inside ever, his sister vanished about 6 months later. Neither were seen again.

12. Mazzy male DSH black – Spayed – He was a gift from the vet when we took another litter of kittens in to him that he had to put down. The litter was found in a box in a dumpster behind the local shops. Mazzy liven to be about 6 before suffering death by car.

13. Monet female DSH mostly black torti – Neutered – My youngest sister found her at the local TAFE when someone dumped a cardboard box of kittens under her classroom window. She was named Monet because my sister thinks her colouring looks like Monet’s brush work.  She is now 5 and still living with my parents with Lilongwe.

14. Chipeeraneema  female DSH grey black – queen – came from the SPCA in the US I had to leave her with my ex-husband I don’t know what happened to her L

15. Azrael male Ragdoll seal point – Neutered – came from a breeder a doggy breeder! He had cat flu! I will never go back there again! Though Az was lovely and stupid! He died March 12^th 2007 of car.

16. Crowley Male Maine Coon silver and white – came from the RSPCA as a 3 year old and bought as a companion for Azrael when I moved and could not keep the cats with me the two of them went to my parents where Crowley proved he could not play well with other cats. So he was adopted by a wonderful friend and is now head of a one cat household.  

17. Kroshka Female Lilac Burmese – will be neutered when she is old enough! – came form a lovely breeder, who talked to us about pet owning and Burmese in specific, about food and housing. Came with a pedigree, fact sheets, the breeders contact details for any questions over the cats lifetime and a request for photos, vaccination information and certificates, worming information and certificates. She is 11 and a half weeks old and strictly an inside only kitten. Never again will I have cats die of car!

I so want to go to the chocolatey goodness but my weekend is so full....

CHOCOLATE!!!

Please note these are comments on my feelings about myself not judgments on how anyone else feels about me.

There are some things I want in life, and I'm so tired of pretending that they do not matter or that they do not hurt me as much as they do.

I want to feel cherished

I want to look in the mirror and like what I see.

I want the pain my own skin causes me gone.

I want to be able to wear a backless top without people asking "oh my god what happened to your back?"

I want to be able to scratch my back and not have my hand come away with blood on it.

I want to be able to wear white without wondering how long it will be before I accidently turn the wrong way or bump into something and spend the rest of they day telling people "it is nothing serious. Yes I know I am bleeding"

I want the scars to heal.

I want the treatment not to cost hundreds of dollars a month once all the different drugs are added together

I don't want to have to hide form the sun for the next 24 months.

I don't want to have skin dry enough that a simple touch will tear it open

I don't want to go through all of that again and have it fail!

Anyone interested in a drive and wine and books?

I was thinking about going to this

Any takers?