THE daughter of a contaminated blood scandal victim remembers the impact her dad's infection had on their lives.   

Russell Carberry, from Astley, died at the age of 39 in 1993 after receiving hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV through the infected blood product Factor VIII.

He was a hemophiliac and Factor VIII was a revolutionary drug which was designed to change his life for the better.

Russell is one of thousands who were given infected blood products imported from America in the 1970s and 1980s.

At least 4,689 people were infected with HIV or hepatitis C in the two decades, with at least 2,944 having since died.

For more than 30 years the government said the disaster was unavoidable despite campaigners saying health warnings of the products were issued at the time.

But in a public inquiry which has seen a preliminary hearing in London this week chaired by retired judge Sir Brian Langstaff, the government has now apologised for the treatment of victims and their families.

Russell left behind his wife of 15 years, Anne, and their two children, Paula and Stuart.

His daughter Paula Wakefield, who is now a councillor for Astley and Mosley Common, was 13 when he died. 

She said: “Growing up with a dad with HIV and hepatitis C was certainly not easy.

“I was told not to talk about it due to the stigma, particularly about HIV in the 80s.

“Most children told people their father died of cancer rather than go into detail and risk the aftermath.

“If people did find out it was not always met by a sympathetic ear.

"Friends were lost and families destroyed.

"My mum and dad received hate mail, and parents went to the school me and my brother attended to say they no longer wanted their children to go there.

"My dad had to give up his job due to ill health and we lost our home and he couldn’t get life insurance.”

The blood scandal also affected Paula’s decision to start a family of her own.

Mum-of-two Paula said: “In adulthood I was put off from having children of my own for a long time.

“As a carrier of hemophilia there is a risk of me passing on the gene and with my experience of the disorder being one of devastation it was certainly not something I wanted for my children.”

It has also been estimated that the scandal could have affected around 25,000 people.

"It has been a long journey to get this inquiry," Paula said.

“Over 30 years of campaigning and over 30 years of being told by the government that nothing could’ve been done to prevent this disaster.

“We hope that with this inquiry the truth will finally come out.

"We need our stories to be told and to undo the lies which have been fed to us all for years.

“The public will hear once and for all the horrific details of this scandal.

"They will hear the fact that there were health warnings which were ignored, and that haemophiliacs were experimented on, and there has been a massive cover up.

“We need justice for my dad and the thousands of others who paid the ultimate price.”

After the hearing this week, the investigation will involve gathering evidence before it is presented when the inquiry resumes next year.

The full inquiry is expected to last around two years.

Paula added: “My dad was an extremely caring person, a family man and my best friend.

“He made me laugh, we went to watch Manchester United together and he was a great role model.

“I miss him very much but I will keep fighting until I get him the justice he deserves.”