Carly Jensen was a sick baby – she was born with a heart defect that was only the 28th case worldwide, a blood condition never diagnosed, and her lungs collapsed.
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Doctors working on Carly gave her 13 blood exchanges in total – a process most babies only survive twice.
For her mother, Jenny, it felt like a miracle when she finally took her baby home at 12 weeks old.
Two decades later, she found out Carly had contracted hepatitis C through the very blood exchanges that saved her life.
It was hard news to hear – but she knew things could have been so much worse.
“1982 and 83 were the worst years for AIDS and hepatitis C, because that’s when it was becoming apparent those diseases were being passed on through blood and screening hadn’t started,” Jenny said.
“Carly’s very, very fortunate she didn’t get AIDS, because if she had, she wouldn’t be here today.
“It was all part of her journey as a little baby being so unwell and getting this blood.”
Carly didn’t find out she had the condition until six years ago, when a doctor picked up on low platelets in her blood.
“I used to go through bags of ice and we could never figure it out why – apparently ice is very addictive when you have hepatitis C,” she said.
“Every year since I was diagnosed I’ve been down to Melbourne for a fibroscan to check the scarring on my liver.”
Carly’s last scan revealed her liver was one rank away from sclerosis, meaning if it was not treated, a transplant would likely be needed.
It was then, through her mother’s role in the Cancer Council, Carly visited Health Minister Sussan Ley in Canberra.
“Mum was talking to Sussan about me and how much I love politics, and she said ‘Any time Carly wants to come to Canberra, she’s welcome’,” Carly said.
“So in October, I went to Canberra and had a cup of tea with her.
“I asked her right at the end, is there anything happening with Hep C, because mum and I had heard about this tablet that was a massive success in the US.
“She said, ‘Don’t give up – there’s a massive announcement coming’.”
In December, Ms Ley revealed breakthrough cures with little-to-no side effects and a 90 per cent success rate would be listed on the PBS from March.
Carly completed the 12-week treatment in August.
“In the first three weeks, I got stacks of headaches, and I was extremely hungry – but they say that’s just me being unique,” she said.
“When the test came back not detected, I was screaming, ‘not detected!’
“Now I’m hoping for a miracle when I go back in December, to see if my liver has recovered.”
Jenny said after all that Carly had been through, it looked like her luck was turning around.
“She went through everything, then got hepatitis C, but fought through it … now she’s cured,” she said.