Memorial for hemophilia victims to go up in AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Karen Fulton Holine lost her son Jason to AIDS more than 20 years ago after receiving tainted blood. Jason, who was 24 years old, suffered from hemophilia.
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"Back in those days over 20 years ago it was such a stigma, so our poor little hemophilia community was just left with nowhere to go and no one to tell our children's stories," said Holine.
Now, many like her are coming out of the shadow of the tragedy called AIDS. Located within the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, a new circle is being built to remember the hemophilia community. It will be called the Hemophilia Memorial. The names of those with the blood disorder who died of AIDS will be engraved in the stone.
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"The space will have a seated bench and it's all Minnesota limestone which matches all the rest of the memorial," says the executive director of the National AIDS Memorial Grove, John Cunningham.
It will be similar to the circle of friends, which is considered the heart of the grove. The hemophilia community came together to pay for this new memorial.
"In my lifetime I get to have a place for Jason that we can remember," Holine told ABC7 News.
The memorial will be dedicated on September 16. It will have about 100 names. More will be added as time goes by.
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