Living stories
Published: 01.02.08
Over 30 people who contracted HIV through blood transfusions along with their families have shared their often silenced stories with university researchers. Many of the stories appear on the interactive web site www.livingstories.org.uk additionally the recordings of all the accounts for the Haemophilia and HIV Life History Project and HIV in the Family will be stored at the British Library Sound Archive.
In the 1980s 1,200 people with bleeding disorders such as haemophilia were infected with HIV. Only 360 are alive today. Survivors aged from 26 to over 70 have been interviewed for the oral history project, along with 36 relatives and friends of those who contracted HIV and many of whom have since died.
Funding for the project came from The Heritage Lottery Fund and the university and the project was supported by The Haemophilia Society and the Macfarlane Trust. Both life history projects were based at the School of Nursing and Midwifery within the university.
Rob Perks, Curator of Oral History at the British Library, commented: "This is a brave and exceptional oral project, recording rare insights into shifting medical care practices, changing public attitudes and personal coping strategies. The interviews are an important addition to the library’s growing health collections."
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
