A Blairgowrie woman has detailed her near-30 year battle with HIV and AIDS in a new book.
Tricia Titheridge (57) was infected with HIV by a blood transfusion in 1984 but went undiagnosed for nearly two decades.
Despite her failing health, she has fought relentlessly to secure the proper level of support and justice from the UK Government for herself and fellow sufferers.
Her new book Cheating the Reaper will be launched officially at a fundraising ceilidh on October 6 in the Royal Hotel, Blairgowrie, but she gave a preview to long-time supporter Pete Wishart MP this week.
Money raised from its sale will be donated to LISAP (Livingstonia Synod AIDS Project) in Northern Malawi.
Tricia said: “Pete and his staff have been very helpful to me over the years and I am grateful to him for his continued support. My health now is better than it has been for years but it has not been an easy ride. I hope that by telling my story I can give some hope to others who find themselves in a similar position.
“I hope, too, that we will be able to raise a good sum for LISAP, a project which is doing fantastic work amongst children living with HIV.”
Grandmother Tricia contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during the delivery of her second daughter in 1984 but it took almost 20 years after she collapsed and almost died when the virus attacked her brain for it to be diagnosed.
After a battery of 197 different tests, none of them for HIV, she was finally told the devastating news that she had AIDS.
A self-confessed “medical miracle”, she has been given just months to live on several occasions but she has never given up her zest for life.
Mr Wishart said: “Tricia is an absolute inspiration. From the years in which she struggled with mysterious unknown illnesses to the subsequent battles and worries that came along with diagnosis, she has faced her challenges with fortitude and determination.
“She is now bringing out a book in which she tells her own story and I have no doubt that it will be an absolutely captivating read. I am really looking forward to the forthcoming launch which, typically, will be used as a platform to raise funds for an HIV-related charity in Malawi.”