Rebecca, aged 53 lives on the Wirral

I was diagnosed with genetic haemochromatosis around 4 years ago, after my Mum was tested and discovered that she had it. My brother and my Aunt (my Mum’s twin) got a test at the same time and they also have it too. Our family are of Irish and Scottish descent, which we now know makes us higher risk.

None of us had heard of the condition before, so we started doing some research to find out more. That’s where I found Haemochromatosis UK. I’ve found it really useful for information and to help me to advocate for myself. My diagnosis hasn’t been straightforward and I’ve found it tough to get confirmation of my ferritin levels and a treatment plan so I haven’t yet reached maintenance yet. I think the fact that this has always

I think the thing that has surprised me the most is that some of the doctors and nurses don’t seem to have an awareness of it, unless they specialise in it. This has made it hard at some times to get answers and has been a little bit frustrating, but hopefully this changes.

If I had to give any advice to someone who’s recently been diagnosed, it would be to advocate for yourself as much as possible. This is something that Haemochromatosis UK have supported me with previously and they’re always available when I need help like this.

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*Terms & Conditions

• Tests normally cost £119. This £9 offer is for a limited time until 30 November 2022 and is subsidised by our charity as a public health initiative across Merseyside.
• This health check test is available to adults aged 18 or over already registered with a NHS GP.
• As a charity, our funding is limited so we’re only able to offer one test kit per household.
• By requesting a health check, you give us permission to send you a genetic test kit and information by post, to deliver the health check to you. Please note that orders are non-refundable. The full terms and conditions can be found here.