Surviving hemophilia

Cees Smit was born with hemophilia almost seventy years ago. No one ever expected him to survive into adulthood, much less old age. He survived all stages of medical innovations, with both highlights and drawbacks, including contracting hepatitis and HIV through blood transfusion. Cees Smit's life story is a history of hemophilia and of the AIDS epidemic. It is also a tribute to the medical professionals who have supported him and an homage to his fellow patients-most of whom have since died. It is for them that this history of hemophilia, hepatitis, and HIV is written.