Unspeakable

The Canadian tainted blood crisis of the 1980s, the inaction of those in control of the Canadian blood system despite the mounting evidence of possible transmission of HIV and hepatitis via blood and blood products, and the effect on the hemophiliac community who relied on such products to survive is presented. The crisis is largely presented through the eyes of two families. In Toronto, Will and Margaret Sanders, a public health official and teacher respectively, are the parents to hemophiliac Ryan Sanders, the parents who do whatever they can to keep Ryan safe both in his everyday activities and through the blood products he is required to take. And in Vancouver, Ben and Alice Landry are the parents to hemophiliac Peter Landry. While they too try to protect Peter in any way they can, Peter becomes infected with the AIDS virus by tainted blood at age fifteen, he having watched his same age best friend and fellow hemophiliac die from AIDS from tainted blood. As such, Peter begins to live a high risk life in his belief that he will die any day from AIDS, while Ben, a journalist, becomes increasingly bitter which negatively affects his relationships with both Alice and Peter. —Huggo