The Iron Angel

Eight years ago this month, May 2007, I lost my mother to hereditary hemochromatosis (HH).  It has been a long journey, an emotional ride, taking me from the depths of grieve to the numbness that follows, to emerging again on the other side and ready to live and give to others.  I continue to work with the American Hemochromatosis Society and to counsel patients and their families with hemochromatosis.  I've decided to work on my book, The Iron Angel, this year and to hopefully complete it and publish it in 2008.  With this decision, I have also decided to retrace some of my journeys by keeping a diary and actually "reliving" the experience by visiting those places where it took place.  I know this will be a very emotional and difficult experience for me, but also a cathartic one.  I think that I will need to do it this way in order to finally get the "Iron Angel" written.  It should have been written years ago, but I couldn't quite bring myself that close to the experience again.  It was, simply, just too painful.  Now, I feel that I can withstand the close look at my mother's experience, so many years later, and re-evaluate it and myself, and be able to produce something worthwhile in the process. 

And, so, as we observe the national American Hemochromatosis Society's "Genetic Screening and Awareness Month" during the month of May, I again urge everyone to be tested for hemochromatosis through this self testing lab: www.healthcheckusa.com  It's simple and easy and for those who wish to only test themselves genetically it is totally painless, using a mouth swab to test for the mutations for hemochromatosis.

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• #1 Comment from belinda.shale@... 
  5/30/07 5:24 AM | Permalink

  Hemochromatosis and Phlebotomy – Updated Blog
  
  Hi
  
  Thanks for all your help so far with our Hemochromatosis blog.  The discussion has changed in the last few days so we would like to take this opportunity to invite you again to a research blog on Hemochromatosis.  We are very interested in you attitude toward Phlebotomy and have therefore added a few new questions.
  
  
  To take part please click this link
  
  http://www.thepatientconnections.com/blog.asp?uid=44
  
  
  The blog is anonymous and easy to use.  Instructions are given on the blog so thanks in advance for your help it is much appreciated.
  
  
  Best wishes
  
  Belinda
  The Patient Connection
  Belinda.shale@thepatientconnections.com