When it comes to novels, a post-apocalyptic story is already an intense and stressful experience, but what about when the protagonist suffers from a bleeding disorder that requires routine medication deliveries?
Author Ryan Ray proposes this scenario in his debut novel Compassionate Use: Adverse Event Book 1, drawing on his healthcare background and his own years of experience with hemophilia in a first-of-its-kind story set in Bucks County.
Main character West is visiting his local Treatment Center for his chronic hemophilia when a national disaster leaves the country in chaos. As medical supply chains halt and everyday resources become scarce, West, his Nurse Practitioner Jess, and Jess’ teenage daughter retreat from Philadelphia to his Bucks County home as they try to endure their new world together.
The idea for the story came to Ray as he read William Forstchen’s post-apocalyptic novel One Second After, which includes a character with diabetes struggling after supply chains come to a standstill and preserving medication becomes a challenge.
“That hit close to home, of course, but unlike some conditions, hemophilia is more of a question mark as to a future without medicine,” said Ray. “Hemophilia didn’t have good outcomes before about 50 years ago, but it wasn’t a guaranteed death sentence either.”
Naturally, he began to consider how a situation similar to Forstchen’s novel would affect someone like him.
“When you have this medication and your quality of life depends on it, and potentially even your life depends on it, you are sensitive to being at the mercy of the healthcare system,” he said.
After devoting time to developing the idea, Ray began to write, creating a thrilling book that not only provides insight into the disorder but also portrays the strength and capabilities of those who have it.
When it came to deciding the best location for the plot, he felt Bucks County, with its close proximity to Hemophilia Treatment Centers in Philadelphia, Allentown, and North Jersey, was the best fit. Doylestown, Chalfont, and Lake Nockamixon serve as the backdrop for West and his companions’ story as they face their new reality.
As hemophilia is frequently misrepresented in modern media, Ray was determined to present a more accurate depiction with his protagonist, giving readers a more authentic look into the disorder.
“While there is a bit of dramatic license, I hope it rings true to the older generation,” he said. “I hope disaster fiction fans learn a little about hemophilia, and rare diseases in general, since collectively most people know, or have a connection to, someone who is impacted by a rare disease.”
Book two is already in development, continuing the thrilling story of West and company, with the addition of characters mentioned in the first Adverse Event book, one of whom has cystic fibrosis.
Compassionate Use: Adverse Event Book 1 is set to release exclusively on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited on April 17, World Hemophilia Day, as a way to honor the bleeding disorders community.
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