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Christines Blog (Archive Blogs 6)

Sat urday 11t h April 2009 Emma my daughter is back for the Easter holidays she had been working hard at university and its lovely for me to be able to give her a cuddle. She has also just celebrated her 19th birthday, here is a photo of Emma second left with some of her friends just before they went out for a celebratory meal. I am so proud of my daughter, everything she is and will be and Andrew would be too! I am spending some time with Emma over the holidays and it will be great to have some girly time with my number one and only daughter. Friday 10t h April 2009 My daughter Emma is back from University to spend Easter at home. I have missed her very much, it will be good to spend some time together. Many parents suffer from 'EMPTY NEST' syndrome when their children leave home. I have felt this very acutely as my home has been silent of both my children after many years. Emma for all the good reasons, university life and moving forward and Andrew because he was cruelly taken from the life he should still be sharing with his family and friends. Emma is paving her way towards a good career and happy life and I am very proud of her and the achievements she has managed to experience during the last year. Here is a favourite photo of my children taken one Easter, Emma just a few years old looking very sweet standing next to her big brother Andrew. Sunday 5t h April 2009 MBC South Korean Producer Lee who was arrested for broadcasting a story about BSE has been bailed. In The Economist April 4th- 10th on page 58 there is an article about the crack down by the South Korean Authorities regarding journalists freedom to report and mentions a blogger Park Dae- sung who was arrested in December after being rude about
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the governments economic management. He is still in prison. The MBC documentary called 'my lost boy' about Andrew, vCJD and my fight for justice here in the UK was postponed three times and had to be edited to become a softer version of what the programme wanted to challenge. My Producer Chang was forced to delete and add various scenes to give a softer view of the lies and cover- ups here in the UK which led to the death of my son Andrew. This is the power of the beef, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries globally. My thoughts and prayers are with my journalist colleagues , friends and the people of South Korea as they fight for justice, freedom of speech. and freedom for the press to report the facts and truth. Alongside this blog is a photo of me with students and activists from Busan University in South Korea. Many of these young men and women have risked their freedom and their lives to speak out about BSE and continue to raise awareness about vCJD and my campaign here in the UK. Sat urday 4 t h April 2009 On Tuesday 31st March myself and Andrew March a haemophiliac who has received the highest numbers of blood products that were contaminated with vCJD, attended a meeting in the House of Commons. The meeting was a 'Coalition on Blood Safety' it was chaired by Earl Howe from the House of Lords. It was attended by Lord Archer who made a statement, Professor Az ra Ghani from Imperial College, London, Dr Geoffrey Poole Welsh Blood Service and various other MPs, Lords and interested organisations and individuals. Lord Archer gave a brief statement about 'Lessons from the Archer Report' and Dr Az ra Ghani Imperial College gave a brief talk about 'The current risk of vCJD to the blood supply'. Afterwards we had a roundtable discussion in which I talked about Andrew, the campaign and my fears about a secondary SELF SUSTAINING EPIDEMIC (VCJD) through blood. The silent pool of individuals within the UK population who may be carrying vCJD and donating blood is a deep concern for myself and many supporters of the campaign. Andrew March knows only too well the cost of living with being 'at risk' of developing vCJD and over the years has seen many of his close friends within the haemophiliac society die due to being given contaminated blood. The Government must act as soon as possible and implement blood screening otherwise in the next years and decades we will see more innocent lives lost through vCJD which has been acquired through donated blood products and tissues. Blood donors have told me . 'I GIVE BLOOD TO PERSERVE LIFE AND WOULD WANT TO KNOW IF I HAD THE POTENTIAL TO PASS ON A DEADLY DISEASE. TESTING MUST BE MADE AVAILABLE ASAP' As Professor Az ra Ghani stated during the meeting 'there is a unknown pool of individuals' who may silently be carrying vCJD. These symptomatic individuals may remain well and free from the disease but could have the very real potential to pass the infection onwards during blood or tissue donation. Below is part of the remit for the 'Coalition Group' 31st March 2009 Committee Room 21 House of Commons, Westminster. COALITION ON BLOOD SAFETY OBJECTIVES

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* To raise the profile and political awareness of issues surrounding blood safety and in particular, the safety of blood transfusions. * To generate debate around how the NHS should ensure the safety of blood transfusions in the future. * To build on the momentum generated by Lord Archers independent Inquiry by exploring and identifying future opportunities and solutions to help make blood safe for British patients. * To allow groups and individuals with a diverse but linked interest in blood safety to understand the broader contest of the issue. The photo alongside this blog is of Andrew March and Christine outside the House of Commons before the 'Coalition Meeting on Blood Safety Thursday 2nd April 2009 There is a blood test available from a Canadian Company called Amorfix which can screen individuals for the rogue prion that causes vCJD. This blood screening test is 99.9 percent accurate and ten times more sensitive than the current HIV test. If put in place it would remove any individual who could have the potential to pass on vCJD through blood products. This test has already been used on 10,000 anonymous blood donors in France. Amorfix now have 50,000 kits available to test for prevalence in the UK.( this was featured on Newsnight BBC2 23rd February 2009) The Department of Health are not allowing Amorfix and other companies to access samples from vCJD victims to validate tests. As Andrews mother I would like his samples to be used to save lives but the Government are stalling regarding these tests. Meanwhile lives could be lost as we dont know how many blood donors are 'silently carrying vCJD' and donating blood. Professor Collinge has stated' that one in a thousand of the UK population could be silently carrying vCJD' (may 2008) . I have asked my MP Mike Hancock to table the questions below to the Minister of Health. To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2009, Official Report, column 757W, on Blood Donation Screening, what are the conditions for the EP- vCJD test to become a validated test. To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2009, Official Report, column 757W, on Blood Donation Screening, whether his Departments will consider giving access to blood samples of those who have died of vCJD to companies who have developed a EP- vCJD test. To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2009, Official Report, column 757W, on Blood Donation Screening, whether family members of those who have died of vCJD can decide whether blood samples of their loved ones can be used in the validation process of the EP- vCJD test, and accessed by companies who have developed a EP- vCJD test. To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2009, Official Report, column 757W, on Blood Donation Screening, whether his Department is placing blood samples of those who have died of vCJD at the disposal of research to develop a prion filtration technology and blood screening for vCJD.

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Tuesday 31st March 2009 In November last year I flew to South Korea after the broadcast of the MBC special 'my lost son' about Andrew, my fight for justice here in the UK and how the lies and cover- ups during the 1980s and 1990s by the UK government led to my sons avoidable death due to vCJD. Since its broadcast the South Korean people have continued to protest about the safety of cheap imported USA beef which has not been bse tested. In the past months many journalists in South Korea have been threatened, sacked some arrested and MBC TV station is being censored by the government. TV producers and journalists have been striking and showing solidarity. Meanwhile what looks like an international press black out means that little of this news is being broadcast in the west. Below are photos of MBC TV Producer Lee- Chun- Geun being arrested for reporting about BSE in the programme (PD notebook) According to his friends he was arrested on Sunday at home in front of his wife and children. The other photo is all MBCs producers on strike demanding justice and freedom of speech. Chang my producer for 'MY LOST BOY' is one of those protesting. During 6 weeks of last summer I spent many days with Chang and the MBC crew filming with them and was struck by their kindness and integrity. Never before has freedom of speech meant so much. My thoughts and prayers are with my journalist colleagues and friends in South Korea. Please join me in your support of these brave men and women, in South Korea who took my Andrew and the campaign to their hearts. They risked their freedom and much more to broadcast the documentary about my Andrew and my fight for justice here in the UK. We are all brothers and sisters of one global family and must stand united in the belief that our families and childrens food and medicines must be safe, a culture of secrecy and lies here in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s government killed my Andrew....in 2009 its now time for transparency, openness and democracy. Here in the UK in Korea and throughout the world. Political policy, shareholders profits must never again be put before human health or a populations well being. The people of South Korea want their families and children to be safe and to know what they are eating will not create the ticking health time bomb we have here in the UK regarding vCJD. I support them fully in this and will do whatever I can to help the people of South Korea. We are all brothers and sisters of one global family and its about time governments everywhere accepted that their publics health and well being must always be put before policy and profit. Sunday 29t h March 2009 Dr Murray Walden MD from St Johns Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto Canada is concerned about the huge rise in the numbers of Alz heimers cases globally and research suggests its not entirely attributable to an aging population. Experts at the conference are worried that the 'world may be
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experiencing an epidemic of Alz heimers diseases' as incidence not prevalence has soared. Dr Walden said 'Epidemiological data collected over a 25 year period shows the incidence of Alz heimers disease in the 1960 was just 2 percent in people over the age of 85, whereas today most experts accept that the incidence of Alz heimers disease is 50 percent. It is 20 percent over the age of 75 years and 10 per cent in individuals over the age of 65 years old' Dr Walden said 'So incidence seem to have soared enormously in this brief period'. INCIDENCES IN ALZHEIMERS AND DEMENTIA HAVE RISEN TO EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS SINCE BSE.....and cases are getting younger! The increased incidence in Alz heimers Disease began in Europe moved to North America then to Japan, China. Dr Walden is convinced that this unprecedented explosion of dementia cases are due to infectious prions. How many cases of Alz heimers and dementia are due to vCJD? Many families who have lost their elderly loved one have come forward to me via the website all convinced their family member has not died of dementia but of vCJD....many of these who have died worked in the catering industries and handled BSE infected material...we are still not being told the truth about vCJD ... THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED OF VCJD...and the correct estimate of how many of us are AT RISK OF DEVELOPING VCJD ...... Wednesday 26t h March 2009 I was invited to meet health ministers from all the leading political parties in Northern Ireland and visited Stormont in February to talk about my concerns regarding vCJD and the campaign. Sinn Fein , Ulster Unionist Party and DUP all back my campaign for justice and share my concerns over vCJD and its ongoing risk to the UK public, especially through blood. I was also invited to speak and meet with the South Korean Parliament during my trip to Korea in November 2008, the Korean Assembly Ministers have petitioned for me to speak to the UN. I felt it only appropriate as I live in England and my son Andrew was born, worked and died in England that I met with Dawn Primarolo the Health Minister to discuss my investigations and concerns. Below is the letter I sent to Dawn Primarolo and her reply which I received yesterday. Once again the Phillips Inquiry is used as a tool to dismiss any challenges to the Conservatives handling of the BSE crisis..significant information and documentation was withheld from this inquiry so its inconclusive. Dawn Primarolo states that deaths due to vCJD are declining...we are not and never have been told the truth about the numbers of people who have died and are dying of vCJD. With the one of the latest victims coming from the MV genotype it means a further 52 per cent of the population is now at risk of developing vCJD. Experts predict we are now facing a second wave of deaths Professor Chris Higgins SEAC has said that an estimate of 350 more deaths is possible. Dawn Primarolo herself states in the letter that estimates and the range is between 49- 692 infections per million. Professor Collinge world expert in prion believes those figures to be higher and told me that One in a thousand of the UK population may be carrying vCJD. One death is one too many when its avoidable but we are now looking at possibly hundreds may be thousands more mums and
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families like mine devastated and heartbroken due to loosing their loved one through vcjd. With the very real risk of more deaths due to a secondary wave of infection due to a significant threat of a self sustaining epidemic through blood Professor Mark Turner Sabto (safety of blood tissues and organs) the UK public are facing a ticking health time bomb. Dawn Primarolo quotes the tests carried out on 70,000 tonsil samples in which none have been found positive. She forgets to mention that in 2004 researchers at Derriford Hospital carried out tests on 12,674 tonsils and appendix anonymously retrieved and found three showing signs of vCJD. Professor Mark Turner and Sabto believe these findings are crucial and should not be dismissed. The blood test available which is 99.9 percent accurate is being blocked by the DOH the company Amorfix needs to access blood samples from victims of vCJD and the Government are not allowing the company access to this material. This blood test is ten times more sensitive than the HIV test and if put in place now could save lives the government are stalling I believe because the do not want to know the true prevalence of just how many of us are silently carrying vCJD. I am shocked that after the warm and ongoing supportive backing I receive from Northern Irelands Political Parties and their leaders Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley and the ongoing support of the South Korean Parliament that Dawn Primarilo is not currently able to meet me! A culture of secrecy killed my Andrew and all the victims of vCJD and it seems that transparency and openness is still not available to the UK public in 2009. Political policy and research into vCJD is still very much being conducted behind closed doors with the majority of the UK public unaware of the true nature and facts behind vCJD. It was not an accident or act of god but a UK man made manufactured disease that will possibly kill hundreds maybe thousands of UK residents in the future. We can prevent more deaths through screening individuals before they give blood this test is available now..whilst Dawn Primarolo and the DOH drag its feet lives will be lost.as Andrews mum I cannot stand by and let this happen and will continue to campaign and push for this test ASAP.. I ask supporters of the website and campaign to LOBBY YOUR LOCAL MPS asking them to back screening of individuals before they donate blood , 18 blood donors who gave blood went on to die of vCJD who knows how many more blood donors are silently carrying the deadly disease and have the ability to infect others.. MY LETTER AND DAWN PRIMAROLOS REPLY Dear Dawn Primarolo, JUSTICE FOR ANDREW AND ALL VICTIMS OF VCJD My name is Christine Lord and I lost my only son to vCJD on 16 th December 2007 aged just 24 years old. From the time he became ill I launched the campaign www.justiceforandy.com which has received millions of hits and thousands of emails of support and information. I am in contact with most families whose loved one has been affected by vCJD so I speak for those families and victims past, present and unfortunately those to come in the future. As well as Andrews mum I am also a freelance journalist and have helped to produce two documentaries the BBC1 programme can be see if you click on the link at the bottom of the home page of the website. I filmed Andrew throughout his last days and this documentary gives just a glimpse of the pain, fear and terror that innocent victims of vCJD have to suffer. Throughout Andrewss illness and since his death I have worked relentlessly to find the answers and help raise the profile of this avoidable and horrific disease. I am currently on a UK tour of large organisations presenting a two hour talk about Andrew, my fight for justice and the concerns vCJD raises for everyone in the UK population. With one in a thousand of the Uk population probably carrying vCJD this ticking health time bomb is a significant concern to everyone in the UK.
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I petitioned the Prime Minister on 18 th December asking him for his support and for answers. One of these issues was blood transfusions and I would like to have a one to one meeting with you to discuss my concerns as to why we do not screen blood for vCJD. I understand the DOH line is that it robustly screens blood already using leucodepletion experts tell me that this is just roughly 39 percent effective. Professor Mark Turner SABTO said there is a significant risk of a self sustaining epidemic through blood. The latest test which is currently available is 99.9 percent accurate. Whilst this delay continues lives could be lost and having nursed my beloved only son through this horrific illness I want to prevent any other mother experiencing what I have to witness during my sons dying days. I have just returned from Northern Ireland where I was invited by leaders of all the political parties to meet with them at Stormont. They were extremely supportive and keen to hear the evidence I have uncovered and more than willing to back my campaign for accountability, responsibility regarding my sons avoidable death. They were also extremely concerned about blood safety. As a resident of England I feel its only appropriate that you as Minister of State for Public Health offer me the same opportunity to talk about my concerns. My son was born, went to school, worked and died in England; he was a talented radio producer working for TalkSPORT and the BBC. In March 2007 he was running a live radio and TV studio by December 2007 he was blind, deaf, quadriplegic, unable to swallow, recognise me or his family. His death was unnecessary, as he lay dying he said This must never happen again we can prevent further deaths through blood screening. I would very much like to meet with you to discuss the issues surrounding vCJD, I am in London most weeks so can meet with you at a convenient time and day in Westminster. Yours sincerely, Christine Lord

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Sat urday 21st March 2009 At midday today on the 21st March 2009 the vCJD memorial ceremony will take place in central London, I will be attending for the first time and with other mums, parents and family members will be remembering our loved ones. Its the day before mothers day and for the first time many of the mums will be speaking to the press. Below is the campaigns latest press release. MOTHER'S DAY AGONY FOR VCJD MUMS (PLEASE NOTE THIS PRESS FACILITY IS ON SATURDAY MARCH 21ST - THE DAY BEFORE MOTHERS DAY) Mums across Britain are looking forward to Mothers Day this Sunday, knowing that they can expect smiles, cards, love and appreciation from the children they cherish. But for one group of parents, Mother's Day is a day of agony, and the only love and support they will receive will be from each other. They all share the same terrible burden - they have all lost children to variant CJD - the human form of mad cows disease.
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On Saturday March 21st, the day before Mothers Day, they will gather on the banks of the Thames to hold a moving memorial service for the children they will never see again, knowing there will be no cards and no smiles for them on Sunday. Until now, the annual service has always been private, but with a new wave of up to 350 more vCJD deaths on the way, these mothers know that their ranks will soon be swelled, and some have decided to speak out. The will gather at the Human BSE Foundation Plaque on the embankment, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament, at noon on March 21st, the day before Mothers Day. They will be joined by fathers, siblings, grandparents and friends of the dead as they listen to a roll call. The names of more than 200 victims will be read out, most of them struck down in their teens and early twenties. While the families reflect on the lives lost and futures stolen, they will look across the river to Westminster and Whitehall where many of those they hold responsible for their loved- ones untimely deaths remain in power. And at the end of the service the families will throw single roses into the Thames, each flower representing a life needlessly- lost. This moving and tragic event will also mark the anniversary of day that (the then Conservative Health Minister) Stephen Dorrell announced to the world that BSE had caused vCJD. Christine Lord from Portsmouth lost her 24- year- old son Andrew Black to vCJD in December 2007. She has been campaigning on his behalf ever since. Christine said: " I will be remembering my son and thinking of the fifty to sixty years of love and life that he has lost. I remain forever heartbroken, knowing he needn't have died. "I will also be there to be my son's voice from the grave. I will be informing other families about my campaign for justice and accountability and warning those responsible that I have them firmly in my sights. I will pursue them relentlessly on behalf of Andrew and all victims of vCJD past present, and unfortunately those to come in the future. "Next week, next month and next year it can and will be another mother's son or daughter dying of this man- made disease, and it's about time that those responsible for these needless deaths were called to account." Derek and June Richer from Gosport in Hampshire lost their 21- year- old daughter Kate to vCJD in February 2001. Derek said: "Our daughter Kate was a graduate at Glasgow university with everything to live for but within months she had changed from a talented and articulate young woman into someone that needed 24/7 care." Kate's mother June added: "I can never come to terms with how and what she died of, because I know our Kate could still be with us today, if she hadn't consumed bse infected material." "As a mum I lay awake at night wondering and blaming myself, when it's the Government and its officials who are to blame. The terrible thing is that people are still dying and will continue to die of vCJD. Why hasn't anyone ever been made responsible for our children's deaths?" Eve and Peter Buckland from Brighton lost their son 31- year- old son Mark to vCJD in 2006. He was infected by a contaminated blood transfusion during an operation. His father Peter said: "Marks death and loss is with me from the time I wake till the time I go to sleep.
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He could still be alive if government greed and lies hadn't been put before human health." Mark's Mother Eve added: "We will be going to the memorial service to meet other families, to remember our loved ones, to cry and to somehow gain the strength to keep living. No parent should ever have to bury their child but the bitterest pill is that our loved ones needn't have died." After the multi- faith ceremony families and friends will board a boat on the Thames where Christine Lord will be talking about her campaign 'Justice for Andy' talk and discussion shared aims and goals. Photos attached: 1. Happier times Andrew and Christine in New York 2. Devastation Andrew dying of vCJD aged 24 Monday 16t h March 2009 I was recently invited to talk to academics, health professionals and scientists and Portsmouth University about vCJD my fight for the truth and the ticking health time- bomb that is vCJD. Here is a photo of me and just some of the students who attended the presentation third left is Dr Isobel Ryder Head of Centre of Healthcare Science at Portsmouth University. As vCJD is a developing health threat I have been invited to speak again at the Portsmouth University and will also be presenting 'justice for andy' at the University of Southampton. Any of you who read this blog who would like me to talk to your business, organisation or group please get in contact via this website. The more members of the public who know the full story about vCJD the closer I am to getting justice for my Andrew..... Friday 13t h March 2009 Andrews friends have put together a facebook tribute and forum for people to talk about vCJD and the campaign, please log on and give your thoughts and support for 'justice for andy'. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=19964110428&ref=ts Thursday 12t h March 2009 Saturday March 21st the Memorial Day for victims of vCJD will take place on the embankment in central London. Parents, family members and friends will come together to remember their loved ones whose lives and futures were stolen. The ceremony takes place at the Human BSE Foundation Plaque opposite the Houses of Parliament just a few yards from the London Eye. We will be meeting in the Slug and Lettuce Public House (1130am). I will then be walking to the embankment for the ceremony which takes place at 12 midday. A roll call of names of all the victims of vCJD will be called out and afterwards families will place flowers into the river Thames.
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I will then be giving a shortened version of my talk to family members on a boat which will be sailing up and down the river Thames opposite Westminster. Any family affected by vCJD who feels able please join me and say hello, any supporter of the campaign is also welcome to come over and talk to me. The memorial day is about victims past and also those current and unfortunately those to come. Sunday 8t h March 2009 I have given two talks to health professionals and academics at Portsmouth University raising awareness about 'justice for andy' and revealing just some of the evidence I have acquired over my two year investigation. The talk which include the documentary 'who killed my son?' have been very successful. Students and university staff have been shocked and horrified at the information and evidence I have presented and many of them have offered to help with my research. I like to thank everyone for their continuing support its great that so many people who joined the campaign at its earliest stages are still with me battling away and helping me reach its final goal. I have had yet another family come forward to me via the website whose loved one is dying of vCJD so the innocent victims continue to die, we are still not being told the truth about the numbers of victims who have died and will die of vCJD. I have found deliberate massaging and ring fencing of statistics and its another indication of the cover- up which continue to protect those culprits I name and shame on this website. It was this culture of secrecy and lies that killed my son. The government are also overplaying the current precautions in place and underplaying the risk to the population. Since my return from Northern Ireland I have been busy planning the next stage of the campaign with my supporters and fellow journalists, so watch this space! Wednesday 4 t h March 2009 During my visit to Northern Ireland I presented a talk to medics and academics at Queens Belfast University. I was also joined by a family member who had lost their brother to vCJD I always invite local families who have been affected by vCJD to bring along a photo of their loved one and talk to the assembled audience about the devastation that vCJD has wrecked on another victim and familys future. The students at Queens were lovely full of questions and empathy, here is just one of the many messages of thanks I have received from what will be our next generation of medics, scientists and researchers. Christine thanks very much for the informative and very open approach you took in broadening our minds on this topic. I wish you all the best in the future in in trying to get justice for Andy! God Bless! Collum. Monday 2nd March 2009 Just returned from a four day trip to Northern Ireland and was overwhelmed with the support I received from
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Just returned from a four day trip to Northern Ireland and was overwhelmed with the support I received from politicians, students, press and the people of Northern Ireland. Below are just three of the politicians I met during my stay all were very keen to hear about 'justice for andy' and pledged their wholehearted support with my quest for answers and accountability. As well as meeting politicians in their offices I spent over two hours in Stormont the seat of government in Northern Ireland. As a resident in England it also surprised me how welcoming the Northern Ireland Assembly was and yet how difficult I have found getting a meeting with leading politicians in England. I will be meeting with Northern Ireland leading politicians again in Westminster in the next weeks and months. Photos of Nigel Dodds with Christine MLA Democratic Unionist Party, John McAllister Ulster Unionist Party, and Michelle ONeill Health Spokesperson for Sinn Fein.

Thursday 26t h February 2009 Yesterday at Stormont I met with politicians from all parties in Northern Ireland. Below is a statement that appears on the Sinn Fin website: Sinn Fin Health Spokesperson and deputy Chair of the Assembly's Health Committee Michelle O'Neill MLA today met with vCJD campaigner Christine Lord in Stormont. Speaking following the meeting Ms O'Neill said, "This is an issue of concern for many within the health sector and I commend Ms Lord for her work in trying to raise awareness and proactively tackle the causes of Variant CJD. "Ms Lord is calling for improved screening on blood donations to help prevent the spread of this disease. Sadly Ms Lord was motivated to engage in this campaign following the tragic loss of her son Andrew Black to Variant CJD. "I want to support the calls made by Ms Lord and call on the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey to explore this issue further in order to
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help prevent any further cases." CROCH Last night I gave a talk to medics and academics at Queens Belfast University. The talk was well attended and included parents from Northern Ireland that had lost their child through vCJD. Tuesday 24 t h February 2009 Below is the press release regarding my trip to northern Ireland. I have been very pleased with the response from all the political parties and their leaders. I am pleased to be talking to medical students at Queens Belfast University as these young men and women will be the future generation of doctors and health professionals. PRESS RELEASE 24 t h- 27 t h February 2009 Mother warns Stormont over new deaths from vCJD NORTHERN IRELAND should brace itself for a new wave of deaths from the human for of mad cows disease. Thats the warning from a campaigner who will meeting with leading politicians. Christine Lord lost her 24- year- old son Andrew to Variant CJD in December 2007. Since then she has worked tirelessly, seeking justice for her son and other victims of the brain- wasting disease. Christine said: "vCJD hasn't gone away. It still kills young people on a regular basis. At least 170 people have died already, and we now know that a second wave of deaths has begun. "Until now, the majority of victims were of the MM genotype, which includes 37 per cent of the population. Within the last few weeks we have seen the first confirmed death of a patient with the more common MV genotype. "That means another 52 per cent of the population are at risk, despite reassurances that people with the MV genotype were unlikely to ever develop vCJD. The Government tried to cover- up this death, but my campaign forced them to admit that up to 350 more people are expected to die." Christine is visiting Northern Ireland 24 th - 27 th February 2009, and has been invited to meet politicians from all parties, including Gerry Adams, Dr Ian Paisley, John McAllister, and Nigel Dodds. Mr Adams wrote to Ms Lord. He said: "First let me express my sincere condolences to you on the tragic death of your son Andrew. I cannot imagine how hurt you are at the unnecessary death of your child. I admire your efforts to find the truth about vCJD and I assure you that I and my party support your efforts." Dr Paisley wrote to Christine 'I will be more than happy to meet with you and put you in contact with constituents concerned or effected by vCJD'. As well as forcing the establishment to admit that the scale of the problem is far worse than previously admitted, Christine's research has also raised serious questions about the Conservative government's handling of the BSE crisis, and highlighted the need for urgent action to prevent further vCJD deaths. During her visit she will discuss her concerns with medical students at Queen's University, Belfast. She was invited to speak there by
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colleagues of Maurice Callaghan, was an engineer at the university. He was the first person to die from vCJD in Northern Ireland, leaving a wife and two young children. Christine said: "These young people will go on to become doctors and surgeons. They need to know the truth about vCJD. I believe its a ticking time- bomb, and that the real number of deaths from vCJD could already be much higher than official figures show. "Since the early 1990s, 1,033 deaths have been attributed to 'sporadic' or randomly occurring CJD. This represents a three- fold increase on preceding years which cannot be explained. "Another worrying sign is that, before the BSE crisis, victims of sporadic CJD were almost all elderly, but their number now includes victims as young as 19 years old. There is no official explanation for this either. In the 1980s and 1990s millions of people were exposed to toxic material from food and medicines produced during the BSE crisis. Official figures estimate that 1 in every 1,000 people in Great Britain are carrying vCJD without knowing it. We have know idea how many will go on to develop the disease and die from it. Christine said: "One of the most shocking consequences of this is the danger of a self- sustaining, secondary epidemic being spread by blood donors. They are effectively 'silent carriers'. We know that 18 blood donors have died from vCJD20after years of giving blood. Thousands of people have been exposed to their blood and blood products. "Lives could be saved if donors were screened for vCJD, but attempts to do this are being blocked by the authorities in Britain. A Canadian company called Amorix has produced a test which can detect vCJD in blood and tissue. Trials have shown it to be more accurate than the current tests for HIV. Amorfix has already produced 50,000 kits and wants to begin mass screening of blood donors in the UK, but the British Government is blocking all attempts to screen on anything like that scale. Christine says: "The Department of Health says blood donors don't want to know if they're carrying vCJD. Their argument is that if screening were in place, people would stop giving blood. It is a ridiculous argument. If you were thinking of giving blood, wouldn't you want to know, beforehand, if you were about to pass on a deadly disease?" "Donors are already screened for HIV. Why not screen for vCJD as well? You have to ask why is the Department of Health dragging it's feet over mass screening. I think it's because screening would reveal the true prevalence of vCJD in the wider population. The establishment would prefer to20let people die, rather than reveal the true nature of this man- made catastrophe." Its exactly the same attitude which the MAFF and the DOH took during the BSE crisis, and it cost my son his life." ITINERARY Christine will be arriving at City Airport, Belfast, on Tuesday 24th Feb. She will be in Northern Ireland until the afternoon of Friday 27th Feb. Her meetings will include John McAllister Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman at Stormont Weds Feb 25th. She has also received an invitation to meet Gerry Adams who called on Tony Blair to establish an inquiry into BSE and vCJD as far back as 1997. Dr Ian Paisley has also invited Christine to meet him and Christine has confirmed that she will be meeting Nigel Dodds MP, who was a close friend and colleague of DUP Councillor Andrew Hunter, who died of vCJD aged 27. The meeting is scheduled for Friday Feb 27th at the constituency office where Andrew Hunter worked.
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Christine will also be meeting Don Simms from Belfast. His son Jonathan is the longest survivor of vCJD. PHOTOS DEVASTATING: Christine's son Andrew Black, two days before his death from vCJD HAPPIER TIMES: Andrew and Christine on holiday in New York Sunday 22nd February 2009 Throughout Andrews final days I have and continue to keep a written diary, I like to share with you an extract that I wrote just a few weeks before my Andrew died....this is the reality of vCJD..... November 21st 2007 My son surprised me last night...I thought he had all but gone...mentally, intellectually, awareness ....that he had disappeared from view. We were sitting in the bay window of what was once my bedroom now his room and prison. I was looking down the rain washed gloomy mid afternoon street, chatting away about this and that to my unresponsive son. When Andrew head bowed suddenly sat up in his wheelchair as I pointed to Emma crossing the road. 'Theres Emma lets wave' I said 'I dont want her to see me....like this ...I look awful' Andrew said I was stunned that he still had such insight into his condition...I got to my knees beside his wheelchair and sobbed quietly onto his chest...gradually he brought his now claw like hand up to my shoulders to try and hug and comfort me. Whilst he kissed my hair with the lightest of butterfly touches.....it meant so much to me...... ...my tears silently fell...forming a small puddle at my feet............ Thursday 19t h February 2009 I would like to show you a letter that was sent by Douglas Hogg (see profile) one of those named and shamed on the website to one of the campaigns many supporters Steve Briggs. Steve has seen the documentary, visits the website regularly and wrote to Douglas Hogg and all those named on the website asking them for answers. Steve tells me he has sons the same age as my Andrew and is concerned for their health and well being and wanted Douglas Hogg and the others to explain their deliberate actions in allowing BSE material in the food and medicine chain for nearly 14 years resulting in 'probably one in a thousand of the UK population carrying vCJD'. Below is Douglas Hoggs reply....as Andrews mum I am angry and dismayed that the words 'HAPPILY' and 'DEATHS WILL BE LIMITED TO BUT A FEW HUNDRED' are written by a member of the Conservative party in respose to such a serious and deadly issue. A member of the Conservative party whose deliberate actions led to the untimely death of my only son. Also with the haemophiliac found to be infected with vCJD at post- mortem due to being given blood plasma and with the 'CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS' of the first victim of vCJD from a different genotype...We are now looking at many more hundreds of deaths due to vCJD.
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The arrogance of this letter, the insensitivity highlights the attitude of all those named and shamed on this website. They have got away with the manslaughter of hundreds and maybe thousands of innocent people and believe they are above the law and untouchable. Well they are not....and I will continue to pursue and expose these ministers and officials for what they are.......and what they have done.

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Tuesday 17t h February 2009 Two stories in the press (15th Feb) last weekend illustrate the ticking time bomb that is vCJD. The Telegraph and Mirror publish the news regarding a victim of vCJD from blood plasma. Apparently an elderly man died of unrelated causes but during post mortem it was found he had vCJD. This man like thousands of other haemophiliacs had received plasma transfusions from a donor that went on to die of vCJD. Today the health protection agency announced that an elderly man who died from other causes, contracted vCJD from plasma. Many other haemophiliacs have died due to the horrific cocktail of contaminated blood they were given....who knows how many of those death certificates should also have included variant Creutz efeldt Jacob Disease as a reason for their untimely deaths?
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Jacob Disease as a reason for their untimely deaths? follow the links for these stories. Telegraph and Mirror. Blood screening is imperative, to prevent more deaths due to contaminated blood products. We are all at risk until the government agrees to screening of blood for vCJD. Once screening is set up we can then look towards treatments which can hopefully be given to people at the earliest stages of the disease, before terrible brain damage has occurred. Blood screening and testing is the only way forward to prevent hundreds possibly thousands more people dying of vCJD through contaminated blood. This is an area where we can save lives...... Remember all these concerns, significant health risks, ruined lives, stolen futures must lay firmly at the door of those named and shamed on this website, they hold the smoking gun that not only killed my Andrew but have put everyone at risk of developing vCJD for decades to come..... Monday 16t h February 2009 Explaining the role of rogue prions in the development of vCJD is not always easy with much scientific wording it can become too complex and difficult to understand. Below is an explanation which really helped me and my family understand the lethal and acquired pathogen which disabled and killed Andrew. How to rogue prions devastate an individuals brain? During a lecture called 'sitting on a timebomb' Dr Walter J Leith explains: 'Prions are a small protein in the brain, there are millions of these prions in the brain. They lie between nerves cells and provide an important function, helping to transmit impulses and other activities in the brain.' He continues 'When an abnormal prion enters the brain it adheres to the normal prion causing it to flatten out and instead of lying between nerve cells it lies on the nerve cell. This means the nerve cell can no longer exchange oxygen so it dies and is absorbed which forms small holes in the brain' he added' this causes a domino effect with sponge like holes in the brain'. Rogue/mis folded prions are deadly, just one is enough to start this domino effect where it continues to replicate, suffocate and kill normal prions. How many rogue prions does it take to infect a person with vCJD? It seems that the smallest amount can kill, one of the recipients of blood that had been contaminated with vCJD died due to 1 unit of blood containing just a few mis- folded prions. In his lecture Dr Walter J Veith states ' THERE ARE A BILLION PRIONS PER GRAM IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF A COW INFECTED WITH BSE' he continues ' IN A COW INFECTED WITH BSE THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PRIONS PER GRAM IN THE INTESTINES AND BONES OF THAT COW' The spinal cord, brain, bones and intestines were all used to make MRM... which were processed into baby food, school dinners, institutional food and also the serum from calve foetuses were processed into vaccines. Sat urday 14 t h February 2009 Today is valentines day and all over the UK people are buying flowers, cards and presents for their loved ones.
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Andrew was a very sensitive young man and rather romantic, he will never again buy flowers for a valentine, never know the joy of committing himself to another and sharing a lifetime of love and laughter, Andrew will never become a parent and hold his child in his arms, he will never see the sun rise or set again, have a holiday with his friends, share family birthdays, Christmases or celebrations......each minute of the day brings the realisation of his immeasurable loss into sharp relief..... This valentines day I will walk to Andrews grave and place flowers on the cold grass....and remember a fine and honourable young man who had integrity, honesty and compassion..... Thursday 12t h February 2009 Photographs of Andrew are very precious and this one particularly makes me smile. Its Andrews ninth birthday and he is trying to blow out his candles on a Mr Blobby cake with his sister as usual trying to get in on the act! The happiest and most joyful time of my life was when my 'little family of three' was together and complete. Sat urday 7t h February 2009 Just how many victims are there of vCJD? Official statistics collated by the Edinburgh CJD Unit are used to reassure the UK public that vCJD is not a 'significant threat ' to most people. The CJD unit only recognises 167 victims....I know through the hundreds of families who have contacted me that vCJD continues to kill on a regular basis....... Below are just some of the silent victims who wont appear in statistics for vCJD: At least three children have been born to mothers dying of vCJD one a young girl is severely brain damaged. The other two youngsters are so far healthy but their dads and families live in constant fear that their children and grandchildren may go on to develop vCJD. Three long term survivors of vCJD who have been treated with a controversial drug pentosan remain alive but in semi comas, unable
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to communicate, move and needing 24/7 nursing by their dedicated and loving families. Two young men and one young woman all aged 24 years old. Over 4,300 UK haemophiliacs are 'AT RISK' of developing vCJD ( a third of these children) because their drug treatments were sourced from blood donors that went on to die of vCJD. Thousands of people worldwide are walking around oblivious to the fact they were given blood, tissues , cells or organs from people who went on to die of vCJD. At any time these individuals could go on to develop vCJD and also if they are blood donors have the potential to infect other people. 'One in a thousand of the population is probably carrying vCJD' Professor Collinge May 2008 OVER 2 MILLION VACCINES IN THE UK WERE GIVEN TO CHILDREN DURING THE 1980s, 1990s, which were SOURCED FROM BSE INFECTED CATTLE. We also exported these vaccines to eleven other countries worldwide. Also what about the elderly, homeless, addicts, dispossessed and people on the fringes of society. Any one of these dying of vCJD can easily and deliberately be misdiagnosed as dementia to keep the Govenments vCJD statistics low and less frightening. The victims of vCJD are in their thousands....the potential for victims of vCJD is an epidemic waiting to explode. Apparently no expert can tell me why my Andrew went on to develop vCJD ....what they are saying is that with the diagnosis of a victim from the next genotype at least 350 people will die in the coming weeks, months, years and with no screening or blood test a secondary self sustaining epidemic could occur through blood. (18 blood donors have died of vCJD and four people have died through receiving blood donations infected with vCJD. Countless have died through growth hormone treatment, fertility treatment, organ transplants). ...the list of people who have died, will die and have the potential to infect others is in the tens of thousands............ Friday 6t h February 2009 From a very young age Andrew was at first fascinated and then determined to have a career in the media. He even made a camera out of a box and pretended to film everyone when he was just five years old. His determination to make a career in television and radio was astonishing and he really admired quick witty banter. One of his heroes was comedian Robin Williams and when we visited New York 2003/4 we popped into Madame Tussauds near Time Square and Andrew insisted on having his photo taken with Robin Williams wax work dummy. Both of us agreed it didnt really look much like the comedian but whenever I look at this photo I smile and celebrate the fun and laughter my only son brought to my life. I miss his grin, smile and laughter so much ........ Thursday 5t h February 2009 Dear Mrs Lord, I have just watched the DVD which you very kindly sent me and I will mention vCJD whenever I can. Blood safety is of the up most
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importance and your campaigning is very important. My very best wishes, Baroness Masham of Ilton Wednesday 4 t h February 2009 During January I have been busy preparing my talks to Universities and groups and also filming and interviewing people who have come forward with further evidence and information. I still await the Prime Ministers response to my petition which I handed into Number Ten Downing Street on 18th December 2008. I phoned the Prime Ministers office last week to ask why I had not received an acknowledgement and to ask how long the response time was likely to be. I was informed by a PM office spokesperson that I will have a response within the next ten days and a copy of my acknowledgement (apparently sent to me on 23rd December which I have never received) would be in the post. I still await the original acknowledgement.

"One in a t housand of t he UK populat ion could be carrying vCJD." (Professor John Collinge,March 2008)
To wat ch t he document ary please use t his link www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/england/realmedia/insideout/south/insideout? siz e=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Site Map

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