A Lasting Legacy

We’ve just released a new book, “Legacy: The Hemophilia of Yesterday,” and I am urging everyone to order a copy (free to parents and patients). It’s the published diaries of Ralph Dean Rytting, a teen with hemophilia during 1942-44. When he begins his diary, he does not even know he has hemophilia. Half way through, he is diagnosed. Of course, back then he only had whole blood transfusions as a treatment. The pain and suffering he endured is monumental, and so is his patience, perseverance and optimism.

I guarantee that when you read this book, you will see your own life in a new perspective. During this time of Thanksgiving, you will feel greater appreciation for what you have in your life. You may find yourself saying, as I have, “If Ralph could endure what he did with grace and acceptance, then I can endure what I am going through now with the same.”

It’s amazing to think that this young teen, who never imagined that his diary would one day be published, offers so many words of wisdom with so much perspective. Growing up in Idaho, Ralph also eloquently brings us back to a simpler time in America, where family, faith and friends came first. To read this book is to be refreshed and renewed. It’s why I took on this project and am eager to bring it to you.

The book also is relevant to today. Ralph writes during World War II, and his journals are filled with references to the newspaper headlines and ongoing battles. Indeed, we end the book with a journal entry: Ralph reflects how the country is at war, terrible battles are raging, and lives are lost, yet he sits in the sunshine in the peace of the western plains. He has difficulty reconciling the two images, and says simply, “I’m thankful to be here.”

Order your free copy today. Authored by Matt Barkdull, grandson of Ralph Dean Rytting. Sponsored by Hemophilia Health Service and Bayer HealthCare.