as reported by WMUR…
A Rockingham County man who said he contracted hepatitis C at Exeter Hospital said Thursday that he’s angry about what happened to him.
The 49-year-old man has been identified only as John Doe No. 1 in legal filings. He spoke to News 9 and allowed his image to be used, but not his name.
Doe said he had a heart attack in August 2011 and was taken to Exeter Hospital for treatment.
He said he got a phone call from the hospital on June 1 saying that he might have contracted the disease. He said that when he got the phone call, he was “dumbfounded.”
The hospital said hundreds of patients needed be tested after it was discovered that a strain of hepatitis C was linked to its cardiac catheterization lab. One employee and 19 patients have so far tested positive for the virus.
Doe said that after undergoing tests, he was confirmed to have hepatitis C and is now part of a class action lawsuit filed by Concord attorney Peter McGrath.
McGrath said the man is one of five confirmed cases of hepatitis C that are part of his legal action. He said 44 people have joined the lawsuit.
Doe has three children and one grandchild, and he said the hardest part of the ordeal was telling his wife of 26 years that he was sick.
McGrath said doctors have been telling him that approximately 60 percent of hepatitis C patients can live normal lives with treatment if they are in good health. But he said that most people who were being treated at the hospital were already facing health problems.
Doe said he is undergoing treatment for hepatitis C, but he hasn’t been given a prognosis.
********************************
If you or someone you know has been affected by the Hepatitis C exposure at Rockingham County’s Exeter Hospital, give our office a call and learn your rights!
Phone: (603) 224-7111 or visit our website at www.mcgrathlawfirm.com