Community Advocate
I want to educate and empower the community, including people who have been affected as well as those likely to be affected by this lethal disease, and remove the stigma that’s attached to viral hepatitis.
I am a community advocate standing for the greater good. I support the community regardless of race, religion, cast or creed. I want to offer my help also to those asylum seekers and refugees who cannot speak for themselves.
I lost my younger sister at 15 years old to hepatitis C, which really shattered my life. She was the dearest to my life. I want to make sure no-one will ever lose a loved one to this infectious killer disease.
It is crucial to spread the message of health hazards, and raise urgent community awareness especially with migrant communities. This issue needs immediate focus and improved medical access, viral hepatitis education, testing, vaccination and treatment.
I believe most of the time fear and stigma are the main reasons people are reluctant to get knowledge of hepatitis and disclose their hepatitis status to medical professionals.
Through education we can change beliefs and attitudes towards hepatitis, especially with migrant communities, as language barriers, lack of knowledge about viral hepatitis, and fear or stigma can be significant barriers in the efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis in our communities.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands where we work - the lands of the Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. We express our gratitude to them for their continued care and curation of these lands and waters. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
LiverWELL observes and honours the Kulin Nation's intrinsic connection to land, sky and water, and the creator Bunjil. LiverWELL is committed to being led and informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on bridging health outcomes for communities and improving liver health.
