Page 7 - BloodBrothers

INTRODUCTIONS

By Carl Weixler, HFA Past President well. The bonds forged there are still tight, even
though few of us remain. When technology had
Blood Brothers! These are very special men progressed to the point that we were finally able
and boys who have an inherently ultra- to take factor at home, we all thought we had it
close bond—a bond like no other—a made, until HIV and HCV hit in the 1980s. Then
relationship that can be difficult to explain that we had to be even more careful about who we
is based on the shared experiences and pain of trusted with our medical history because not only
living with a bleeding disorder. Although we all was our blood disorder hard for some to under-
have different types of relationships—those with stand, we feared the public’s reaction to an AIDS
our parents, spouses, children, friends, coworkers diagnosis. Add to that the fact that our longev-
and so on—some are close to the heart and some ity was uncertain, given that many of our Blood
are casual. And sometimes the relationships that Brothers were dying from AIDS and HCV. Those
are the strongest are the ones we choose. of us who are blessed to have lived through that
perilous time know that we have “endangered
My name is Carl Weixler. I am 55-years-old and species” status because more than 90% of our
live with severe hemophilia B. I grew up in the peers died from the tainted blood they unknow-
“Dark Ages” of hemophilia care when we only re- ingly used for treatment. With this knowledge
ceived whole blood and ice-packs for our bleeds of our history comes the critical responsibility to
in a hospital. Those were the days of extremely mentor future generations. As we look forward to
painful and damaged joints. Back in the 1960s, passing the torch, we survivors must instill in our
on average, I could bank on encountering about younger Blood Brothers an appreciation of our
five of us Brothers at the hospital at the same community’s history and the passion to protect its
time every few weeks dealing with our bleeding hard-won lessons.
episodes. We were all put in the same room and,
consequently, got to know each other pretty

Bleeding disorders know no gender, nationality, ethnicity,
or socio-economic class, and neither should we.

BLOOD BROTHERHOOD 7