Oral history interview with Craig Epson-Nelms, 1991

Scope and Contents

Lack of good medical care for people with hemophilia before advent of cryoprecipitate; death of brother with hemophilia due to misdiagnosis; memories of lengthy hospitalizations for bleeding episodes; relationships with other people with hemophilia, nurses, physicians, etc., in the hospital; medical care of people with hemophilia in the U.S. Navy; lack of knowledge of/access to regional hemophilia treatment centers; family background; religious and racial issues in childhood; cigarette smoking and drug use among people with hemophilia; experiences at "hemophilia camp"; the change from Navy medical care to care at regional hemophilia treatment center; change from cryoprecipitate to concentrate in 1980; probable exposure to HIV at this time; involvement in extracurricular activities in high school; early experiences with HIV positivity; early sexual experiences; involvement in peer counseling for AIDS community group; experiences working for a hemophilia home-care company; animosity within hemophilia community toward homosexual people; experiences with social workers in hemophilia community and in AIDS community; development of a gay community in cities in South Carolina; development of a hemophilia community in cities in North and South Carolina; "tribe" versus "community" or "culture"; importance of accepting diversity in the "tribe"

Subjects

• AIDS (Disease)--United States--History.
• Epson-Nelms, Craig--Interviews.
• Hemophilia--Political aspects.
• Hemophilia--Social aspects.
• Hemophilia--United States--History.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)