Blood Saga by Susan Resnik (1999, Hardcover)

It was difficult, painful, nostalgic, poignant and cathartic to read Susan's book chronicling the history of Hemophilia (bleeder's disease)with special emphasis on the development of commercial blood products used to treat bleeding episodes and the contamination of those products with the AIDS virus, resulting in a decimation of much of the hemophilia population and many of the partners and family members. Although originally written as a scholastic thesis, Susan did a wonderful job of merging that thesis with additional information beyond the scope of her thesis.

The result is a very readable chronicle, and is well-worth the reading for anyone interested in hemophilia past and present. It was particularly of value for me and likely to be valuable for my posterity, as my husband, a hemophiliac, was one of the persons named within the book, as he was intimately involved in the National Hemophilia Foundation in the early '80s, and died in 1986 from complications due to AIDS. At this writing I have two grandsons with hemophilia, and to watch them romp and play and live a normal life is a miracle that would not have been possible were it not for the legacy created by their "blood brothers", the older hemophiliacs who played such a crucial role in bringing hemophilia into public awareness, campaigned for and achieved research and development of treatment products, and brought hemophilia "out of the closet" and into the modern world.

In my opinion, Susan did an excellent job of reporting and explaining the conflicts within the hemophilia and medical communities surrounding the AIDS crisis - the thinking behind the decisions that were made by the leaders within the NHF and the medical advisory council versus the perceptions of the (generally) younger hemophiliacs and families who were, unfortunately, often "left in the dark" regarding AIDS and treatment options. Susan carefully does not take sides in that conflict, and reported not just the perceptions and positions of the various parties, but also the "why" that went behind the decisions and positions that were taken.

Regardless of one's opinion of what the blood banking industry, the medical personnel, the leaders of the hemophilia organizations or the government should have done or should not have done to prevent or, at the very least, minimize the impact of AIDS on the hemophilia community, this book should be read by anyone wanting to know the saga of hemophilia from a position of non-biased reporting.

Well done, Susan. Thank you.