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Survivor: One Man’s Battle With HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C
On January 3, 1987, teenager Vaughn Ripley receives what seems to be a death sentence. A lifelong hemophiliac, he has been infused with tainted blood and is found to be HIV+. In this memoir, Ripley not only recounts his life living with severe physical ailments, but also details his fight to live. Survivor follows him as he receives his fateful news and examines how this single piece of information pushes the innocent boy headlong into a hard life of drugs and alcohol. After several years and many near-death incidents, he finally overcomes the drug addiction and tries to create some semblance of life out of the resulting carnage. He describes how he turned his life around to become a professional database administrator, how hemophilia contributed to his tendency toward being an adrenaline junkie, and how medical advances allowed Ripley and his wife to become parents. His story is one of courage and tenacity, as he demonstrates the will to face the world head-on and overcome the physical ailments in order to lead an active, productive, and positive life.
- GenresBiography
284 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2010
About the author
Vaughn Ripley
1 book26 followersVaughn Ripley has been writing all of his life. Born in Washington D.C. in 1967, and raised in the D.C. metropolitan area, he is a professional database administrator. Born a hemophiliac he has wrestled with Hepatitis C, which he recently beat after enduring a yearlong battle with medicine. He has also fought and continues to fight for more than twenty-six years in a battle with HIV and AIDS. Vaughn is one of the longest living HIV+ people on the planet. He and his wife went through many hardships and tribulations to finally have two children via in vitro fertilization. Vaughn has spent time racing motorcycles on the street and track. He excelled at rock climbing for more than seven years and attempted to climb Mount Rainier. He ran in and completed the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon, raising more than $3,500 for AIDS care giving and research. He is a certified personal trainer and adamantly works out to stay healthy, fit and trim. Along with his adrenaline and fitness related hobbies, Vaughn is also an avid guitarist with a thirst for musical theory. In his spare time Vaughn enjoys writing, playing the guitar, weight lifting, mountain biking, four wheeling, and dabbling in poker. He lives with his wife Kristine, their daughter, Trinity and their son, Xander, in Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 29, 2012
I was totally torn on what to rate this book. Vaughn Ripley has lived an amazing life and shared it openly and honestly. The book was a fascinating and inspiring read that showed the best and worst of the man. With a stronger editor to help him craft his memoir, this book should have been rated 4-5 stars. (Yes, I am stingy with my five stars.)
February 6, 2012
I just finished Survivor: One Man’s Battle with HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C and my first thought after reading the last page was that you should never judge a book by its title.
Vaughn graciously sent me a free copy of his memoir to read. I put it in my to-be-read pile back in February of this year and then anxiously watched as it got closer to the top of my pile. Since I deal with my own blood disorder (I’m the opposite of hemophilic; my blood clots too much) and I’ve lost a dear friend and mentor to HIV, I wasn’t really looking forward to a memoir that dug into living daily with these health-related issues. However, I remembered the enthusiastic emails Vaughn sent me and I wasn’t going to let him down about reading and reviewing his book just because I was afraid of the title.
Immediately upon opening the book, I realized my fears were unfounded. Anyone who starts a book with a quote from Josey Wales has my attention: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ boy.” The 264 pages that follow this opening quote have nothing to do with dying and everything to do with living. This is a memoir so Vaughn includes the obligatory thank you to family, friends, and coworkers who have supported him in life. You read about how Vaughn dealt with each health related issue when necessary. But the thing that becomes apparent very quickly is that his memoir isn’t really about surviving, it is about living.
Vaughn lives to get the maximum out of life. If you have any interest in rock climbing, motorcycles, cycling, or healthy living there is plenty in this memoir to keep you reading. He adventures and misadventures are written in very short, concise entries that make this a perfect read before bed or on your lunch hour as you can read about a few adventures in a small amount of time. You’ll read about some hilarious and hair raising adventures. You’ll be touched by some poignant and heart warming memories. And you’ll see how one man chose not to be defined by labels and made his own way in life.
Vaughn doesn’t hide behind his illness or his pen. He tells you both the good and the bad about his life. Regardless of the situation, he makes a plan and moves on. It is that perseverance that has allowed him to take on such challenges as climbing Mt. Rainier—you’ll have to read the memoir to find out if he made it to the top—and be successful in business.
And when you finish this memoir, you’ll feel a sense of hope. Not just for Vaughn, but for yourself. Remember how I said I was afraid to read this book, well I realized facing your fears is really what this book is about. There were plenty of times Vaughn could have taken a less risky path and played it safe, but he never let his fear get in his way. There are certainly times when life forced him to change his goals. Yet, Vaughn never let life break him, but rather just bend him in a new direction. There is a lesson in that for all of us. And that is why I think the title is misleading. This isn’t a book about surviving—though Vaughn has certainly suffered—it is really about living.
Ten percent of the author’s royalties are donated to AIDS research so with one purchase you can improve your outlook on life and improve our world.
Vaughn graciously sent me a free copy of his memoir to read. I put it in my to-be-read pile back in February of this year and then anxiously watched as it got closer to the top of my pile. Since I deal with my own blood disorder (I’m the opposite of hemophilic; my blood clots too much) and I’ve lost a dear friend and mentor to HIV, I wasn’t really looking forward to a memoir that dug into living daily with these health-related issues. However, I remembered the enthusiastic emails Vaughn sent me and I wasn’t going to let him down about reading and reviewing his book just because I was afraid of the title.
Immediately upon opening the book, I realized my fears were unfounded. Anyone who starts a book with a quote from Josey Wales has my attention: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’ boy.” The 264 pages that follow this opening quote have nothing to do with dying and everything to do with living. This is a memoir so Vaughn includes the obligatory thank you to family, friends, and coworkers who have supported him in life. You read about how Vaughn dealt with each health related issue when necessary. But the thing that becomes apparent very quickly is that his memoir isn’t really about surviving, it is about living.
Vaughn lives to get the maximum out of life. If you have any interest in rock climbing, motorcycles, cycling, or healthy living there is plenty in this memoir to keep you reading. He adventures and misadventures are written in very short, concise entries that make this a perfect read before bed or on your lunch hour as you can read about a few adventures in a small amount of time. You’ll read about some hilarious and hair raising adventures. You’ll be touched by some poignant and heart warming memories. And you’ll see how one man chose not to be defined by labels and made his own way in life.
Vaughn doesn’t hide behind his illness or his pen. He tells you both the good and the bad about his life. Regardless of the situation, he makes a plan and moves on. It is that perseverance that has allowed him to take on such challenges as climbing Mt. Rainier—you’ll have to read the memoir to find out if he made it to the top—and be successful in business.
And when you finish this memoir, you’ll feel a sense of hope. Not just for Vaughn, but for yourself. Remember how I said I was afraid to read this book, well I realized facing your fears is really what this book is about. There were plenty of times Vaughn could have taken a less risky path and played it safe, but he never let his fear get in his way. There are certainly times when life forced him to change his goals. Yet, Vaughn never let life break him, but rather just bend him in a new direction. There is a lesson in that for all of us. And that is why I think the title is misleading. This isn’t a book about surviving—though Vaughn has certainly suffered—it is really about living.
Ten percent of the author’s royalties are donated to AIDS research so with one purchase you can improve your outlook on life and improve our world.
April 1, 2012
Vaughn is an inspiration! I was fortunate enough to go to school with the Ripley brothers. I knew Vaughn was a hemophiliac and I knew he had AIDS. I know that made school tougher for him during the 80's but it never mattered to me. Being disabled by Cerebral Palsy myself. I know what its like to stick out because you are different. That being said: Vaughn carried a much bigger burden and he did it with style, grace, humility and I cannot leave out just plain GUTS....Bravo man! You ROCKED more than any of us knew! It makes your book hard to put down. When I think of all the risks you took, yes, the stupid risks! I want to shake you myself...You are lucky to be here pal. You must have a better destiny because you are still here. If you read Vaughn's story you will feel it for yourself...his journey is amazing!..and painful in it's truth.
November 23, 2019
"One man's battle with HIV, Hemophilia and Hepatitis C" is well, an inadequate title. Since the medical conditions take a second stage in this book.
This memoir is actually more geared towards adventure, driving and friendship, than the medical conditions themselves. As someone who has researched the relationship between HIV and Hemophilia extensively, I found the book's content disappointing in that sense.
The author's narrative style also shows a definite need for an editor to finetune some of the ideas. Narration can feel hastened, it lacks depth and could use more structure within the chapters. Some chapters even seem incomplete, as if they were just add to fill up the content.
Overall, an average read, at best.
This memoir is actually more geared towards adventure, driving and friendship, than the medical conditions themselves. As someone who has researched the relationship between HIV and Hemophilia extensively, I found the book's content disappointing in that sense.
The author's narrative style also shows a definite need for an editor to finetune some of the ideas. Narration can feel hastened, it lacks depth and could use more structure within the chapters. Some chapters even seem incomplete, as if they were just add to fill up the content.
Overall, an average read, at best.
Want to Read
March 25, 2020I am Abid Bashir a hemophalia patient from Kashmir india , I want to read this book but this book is not in stock in my vacanity so I request ,if anyone have the pdf of this book thenhthen he or she can send me on my mail
drabidbashir1997@gmail.com
Or WhatsApp +919596544082
It will be his kindness .
Thank you
drabidbashir1997@gmail.com
Or WhatsApp +919596544082
It will be his kindness .
Thank you
June 29, 2019
Inspirational, and fits my current narrative and new learning about blood disorders. Would only recommend to specific readers.
July 16, 2012
My Amazon review:
In Survivor: One Man's Battle with HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C, Vaughn Ripley expounds on the challenges he has faced as he has negotiated life on less than optimal terms. This book not only details the manner in which Vaughn and his loved ones have handled his dangerous condition of hemophilia, but also offers the reader a glance into the psychology of his dealing with diagnoses of HIV and hepatitis C, both contracted through the transfusions meant to save him.
There have been dark days in the life of Vaughn Ripley. However, the overwhelming message taken away by the end of the book is one of hope and positivity. Not satisfied to simply survive his illnesses, Vaughn strives daily to compose a life filled with meaning. Through use of easy language, Vaughn describes his stories in such a way that will draw in readers. Rather than simply tell his tale, he divulges details of his personal life as he would to a friend. Herein lies the power of this book: he does not keep his audience at arm's length. If you'd like to know what the very real life of someone dealing with these issues is like, this is your book.
Enough science has been included in the pages describing these illnesses that a basic understanding of them is accessible, even to those who currently know nothing about them. This motivating story has the capacity to inspire everyone, though: an interest in hemophilia, HIV, and hepatitis C is not necessary to glean a better-defined perspective on the frailty of the human condition and the indomitable resolve that can transcend it.
Suffused ultimately with the spirit of thriving, this book is another achievement that becomes part of Vaughn's legacy.
In Survivor: One Man's Battle with HIV, Hemophilia, and Hepatitis C, Vaughn Ripley expounds on the challenges he has faced as he has negotiated life on less than optimal terms. This book not only details the manner in which Vaughn and his loved ones have handled his dangerous condition of hemophilia, but also offers the reader a glance into the psychology of his dealing with diagnoses of HIV and hepatitis C, both contracted through the transfusions meant to save him.
There have been dark days in the life of Vaughn Ripley. However, the overwhelming message taken away by the end of the book is one of hope and positivity. Not satisfied to simply survive his illnesses, Vaughn strives daily to compose a life filled with meaning. Through use of easy language, Vaughn describes his stories in such a way that will draw in readers. Rather than simply tell his tale, he divulges details of his personal life as he would to a friend. Herein lies the power of this book: he does not keep his audience at arm's length. If you'd like to know what the very real life of someone dealing with these issues is like, this is your book.
Enough science has been included in the pages describing these illnesses that a basic understanding of them is accessible, even to those who currently know nothing about them. This motivating story has the capacity to inspire everyone, though: an interest in hemophilia, HIV, and hepatitis C is not necessary to glean a better-defined perspective on the frailty of the human condition and the indomitable resolve that can transcend it.
Suffused ultimately with the spirit of thriving, this book is another achievement that becomes part of Vaughn's legacy.
June 7, 2014
I live in the same town as Mr Ripley, but I can't say we have met (but odds are he's passed me on his bike while I've been out walking at some time)
This is a intense autobiography of someone who adapts when they have to but never gives up. I'm glad to have read this book. I've thought a lot on it in small ways since then.
It's well worth the read.
This is a intense autobiography of someone who adapts when they have to but never gives up. I'm glad to have read this book. I've thought a lot on it in small ways since then.
It's well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews