A woman from north Bristol who was orphaned when her parents were killed as a result of contaminated blood products has spoken out at a national inquiry into the scandal.
Lauren Palmer, 35, lost her parents Stephen and Barbara within eight days of each other in 1993 when she was just nine years old. Their death came after Stephen was given infected blood products for his severe haemophilia, and passed the virus to Barbara.
The Infected Blood Inquiry, which started in September, heard Stephen was diagnosed with HIV in 1985 and then later diagnosed with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Barbara was diagnosed with HIV and hepatitis C in 1991.
Ms Palmer told the inquiry on May 7 the deaths "shattered" their family and the lack of financial support held her back.
When asked if the children of the infected had been neglected, the 35-year-old from Bristol said "yes".
Ms Palmer added: "I lost both my parents at nine years old at no fault of my own and subsequently my life has been awful, and having some kind of financial support would not make things better - it would never bring my parents back - but it would make my life easier.
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"Having that security of some financial support would be a great burden off of my shoulders knowing that I can live a life that has been mapped out in front of me.
"I don't have that financial support, I don't have a family.
"It has probably held me back a lot and it is not our fault and we deserve - my parents lost their lives, had their lives cut short - we deserve, being their children, to have a good life. It's the least we could have or want."
Ms Palmer was giving evidence during the second week of the inquiry's hearings stage at Fleetbank House in central London. After the inquiry hears from those infected and affected in central London, there will be similar testimonies given in Belfast, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
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The contaminated blood scandal has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, with thousands of patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C via contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
There have been two previous inquiries, however both of these have been branded a 'whitewash' by campaigners who are fighting for substantiative action in the wake of thousands of deaths.
The inquiry is chaired by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff, who has promised to put people at the heart of the probe.
Lauren separated from her siblings
Ms Palmer told the inquiry when her parents died it was "shattering" because she was sent off to live with relatives and separated from her two half-brothers.
She added: "It was shattering. Up until that point I always knew them as my brothers regardless if they were from a previous marriage.
"We were a family unit and we should have been together and should have remained together growing up.
"It was the hardest thing to deal with being separated from them, not only did I lose my parents, I lost my brothers who were the next closest thing to me and it would rip me apart every time I would go and visit them and have to come back.
"I would be grief-stricken for weeks after visiting them."
Ms Palmer said she had been told not to tell anyone how her parents had died because of the stigma.
She said she never felt she 'belonged' at her new home and left in her late teens, working in retail and on cruise ships before landing her 'dream job' working for make-up company MAC Cosmetics.
Ms Palmer, now a freelance make-up artist, added: "It affected the entire family. No-one was really given any support. We were all just left to muddle through. We were almost all just sort off - I don't know, just bouncing around one another.
"We weren't able to openly speak about it within the family. It was very much all brushed under the carpet.
"No-one dared say anything and suppressing all those feelings - it was not a healthy environment to be in for any of us and it took its toll and everyone struggled immensely."
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Have you been affected by the contaminated blood products scandal, and would like to share your story? Contact reporter Sarah Turnnidge on Facebook here, by calling 01179 343 285, or emailing sarah.turnnidge@reachplc.com.
