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You are so correct, about when HIV testing began, and about how, when one receives various blood products, they may come from multiple donors....my son had APL leukemia, which because of its vicious nature, usually makes the person sick with it have to have so many transfusions...my son received transfusions from May 1984, through August 1985, and I do know that for most of that time, blood was not tested at all for HIV...it was only towards the end of my sons disease in 1985, did routine testing of blood for HIV become routine...

My son died in August 1985 because of complications of his leukemia...but he could have just as easily have died from HIV, through transfusions because of the lack of testing...

To me, its really quite pathetic that there are those who would prefer to believe that Asimov contracted Aids as a result of his behavior, rather than the most logical conclusion, which would be that he got the HIV from a blood transfusion, exactly as he thought...

I am so sad for you and your son...you must have been sick with worry and grief...

I remember donating blood in January of 1985, and hearing that they were going to start testing, officially, in May...I was glad to hear it, but I've never trusted the testing, truthfully...

Our son had a reaction to a medication in 1986 that caused him to have a severe platelet depression, and the doctor mentioned transfusions at one point. I absolutely refused, and he didn't bring it up again. Fortunately, our son recovered, though slowly; he was forbidden to participate in school athletics for several years due to the bleeding risk...