Nancy Draper was enjoying her life as a busy wife and mother in New Hampshire when she was hit with a tremendous jolt. She was shocked to learn that her mother, a vital woman in her sixties, had been infected with the AIDS virus. She provides a compelling account of her experiences in dealing with AIDS along with those of her mother in "A Burden of Silence: My Mother's Battle with AIDS". Nancy's mother had received blood from a contaminated pool from New York City while receiving a blood transfusion. Those with knowledge of this tragedy failed to pass along word. Tragically, certain individuals in authority placed a premium on protecting themselves and not providing vital information to family members, beginning with Nancy's father. Having been dealt this terrible blow, Nancy Draper summoned all the courage and energy at her disposal to help her mother through her travail. A former teacher and current piano instructor, Nancy plainly likes people and has an essentially optimistic viewpoint which shows through in her writing. She was therefore stunned to observe that so many with whom she dealt in the health care field, rather than displaying the type of caring compassion toward Nancy's mother that her situation warranted, instead sadly operated at a cold distance. When Nancy sought answers on how to ease her mother's painful burden she sometimes received more of a shrug than helpful assistance. Incredibly, in one instance when she took her mother to a doctor's office, he remained seated and did not even get up to acknowledge their presence. Such conduct is a long step downward from the teachings of Hippocrates. This book represents a straightforward account of Nancy Draper's experiences without any punches being pulled, and as such there were negative experiences as well as, thankfully, positive ones as well. At a time when Nancy's mother needed a game plan to reduce the level of pain she was forced to endure the caring figure of Dr. Ann Webster emerged. As the director of the HIV/AIDS Program at the Mind/Body Institute in Boston, Dr. Webster made available the most updated treatment in the new and rapidly expanding holistic treatment area. "Nancy has given her mother's story a voice," Dr Webster stated regarding "Burden of Silence", adding, "There are lessons for everyone in this book - lessons about acceptance, compassion, and forgiveness." Ann Pozen, Psy.D., president of the National Association for Victims of Transfusion-Acquired AIDS, Inc., of Bethesda, Maryland, also provided a solid endorsement of "Burden of Silence": "Nancy Draper has written a tender account of a daughter's devotion to her dying mother. The story, about a grandmother who developed AIDS from a contaminated blood transfusion, will inspire admiration for Ms. Draper's courage and persistence. It will also inspire rage against the blood banks that failed to screen blood donations adequately." In addition to assisting Nancy's mother in the important holistic medicine area, seeking to ease the physical and mental pain she confronted, the act of bonding was also essential. During her mother's ordeal as well as the painful period following her death Nancy Draper found additional strength through interaction. One of the most positive and impressive elements of her story is the message that strength can be acquired through reaching out with full sensitivity toward those in a comparable situation. She writes movingly about one such instance when she met a woman on an airplane who had lost a brother to AIDS. They were able to provide needed comfort to one another, which was extended even further by group interaction. Draper correctly points out the terrible mistakes made in analyzing AIDS. She notes painfully how many people she knew shunned dealing with her mother and other AIDS patients for fear that even a touch may subject them to the disease. Another point well made was how long the federal government dragged its feet before speaking out officially about AIDS. It was not until 1987 that President Ronald Reagan even mentioned AIDS while numerous cases were being regularly reported from the early eighties. The author relates to the tragedy of pernicious ignorance as a factor in hardening feelings toward AIDS patients. Those familiar with the eighties recall the thundering denunciations of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in which they bluntly stated that AIDS sufferers were being punished for their sins. Their voices were immediately silenced after statistics poured in from Africa revealing enormous numbers of AIDS cases involving heterosexuals. Due to the substantial weight losses of sufferers, the disease became known as Slims throughout Africa. After devoting a section to hospice care and the role it played during her mother's final days Nancy addresses the present and the future. She is proud of having contributed to the international AIDS quilt. In so doing she has kept her mother's name alive as well as joining hands with others who have suffered from AIDS by giving their lives and through empathizing with deaths of relatives and friends. As Nancy Draper effectively argues, AIDS is a disease that should not prompt us to sweep it fearfully under the rug as we atrophy in a well of ignorance. Any of us could acquire AIDS, it should remain a paramount concern to all citizens of the world community, and together we must march forward to demand the maximum in research and commitment toward finding a cure.
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