My life was split in two by infected blood scandal

Kiri was 18 when her dad died of hepatitis C

Kiri Nowak-Smith’s life is split into two halves. Her father’s death is the dividing line.

Peter Nowak, who was from West Sussex, died in 2005, just four months after his diagnosis of hepatitis C.

He was one of the 30,000 people who were exposed to hepatitis C and HIV after having blood transfusions in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

A report of an inquiry into the infected blood scandal is due to be published on Monday.

Kiri, who is now 38, a mother-of-two and a writer living near Haywards Heath, described Peter as her “cheerleader”.

He was “very creative, artistic - always painting,” she said.

“We'd always hear him late at night playing his electric guitar downstairs. It would drive my mum mad, but to me now that's quite a soothing sound.”

Peter was given a blood transfusion just months after marrying Kiri's mother, Gaye

In 1979, aged 27 and just a few months after marrying Kiri’s mother, Gaye, Peter was in a serious car crash.

He was given several blood transfusions that are believed to have unknowingly infected him with hepatitis C, often referred to as the “silent killer”.

If diagnosed early, the virus is a treatable condition and most people with it have a normal life expectancy.

But many patients who are unaware they have contracted hepatitis C do not experience symptoms until the infection is advanced enough to cause serious health issues.

That was the case for Peter.

One summer day in 2005, he collapsed while cutting the grass.

Peter was taken to hospital and diagnosed, which Kiri, who was 18 at the time, said was “a complete shock”.

Very quickly, she said her father began to “fade away,” looking “older, frail and gaunt”.

Four months later, Peter died of cirrhosis of the liver caused by the illness.

It was three days after Christmas.

Kiri's father passed away just three days after this photo was taken on Christmas Day

Peter's family believe that if he were diagnosed earlier, he might still be here today.

The BBC has found that about 1,750 people in the UK are still living with undiagnosed hepatitis C after being given transfusions with contaminated blood.

The UK government and NHS actively tried to limit the public’s awareness of hepatitis C and postponed a programme that aimed to track down possible victims, preventing them from receiving potentially life-saving treatment.

A government spokesperson has described the infected blood scandal as "an appalling tragedy that never should have happened".

Kiri said her father’s death has caused her lifelong trauma.

“When someone is taken from you so easily like that in such an unfair way, it makes you question everything and it makes you scared.”

Peter's death has left Kiri with a lot of trauma, especially around health

In late 2022, following advice from the inquiry, the government made interim payments of £100,000 each to around 4,000 surviving victims and some bereaved partners, which included Peter’s wife Gaye.

Kiri and Gaye believe the children of victims should also be eligible.

The government said it had established a new body to deliver an infected blood compensation scheme and it will have all the funding needed to deliver compensation once they have identified the victims and assessed claims.

“In addition, we have included a statutory duty to provide additional interim payments to the estates of deceased infected people," a government spokesperson added.

“We will continue to listen carefully to the community as we address this dreadful scandal."

Gaye will be at the findings of the report on Monday but for Kiri it is "too painful and traumatic".

Gaye said: "We want an apology. I want Peter to have some sort of justice. I want the people who caused this to pay in some sort of way."