The Tan that Does Not Fade
From the moment I first heard the word “hemochromatosis” and began to understand that my adored husband’s many years of suffering and remarkable skin pigmentation (which I still describe as a “tan that does not fade”) were the result of “too much iron,” I could only refer to the disease I regarded as the enemy as “the bronze killer.” It is thus not surprising that 32-year-old letterheads of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society bear the slogan “Fight the bronze killer!”—which did not sit well with one of the physicians whom I had been fortunate to recruit as an ally. “Too melodramatic!” was his pronouncement.
When he stated categorically that he could not work with me unless I changed the slogan, rather than lose the indispensable cooperation of someone I so greatly respected, I removed all mention of the "bronze killer" from the society’s literature—but not from my heart or my mind. With some bitterness—and still mistakenly adhering to the belief that hemochromatosis was purely the technical name for "bronze diabetes" and nothing else—I had taken to referring to hemochromatosis as "the bronze killer" and I had already decided that if I ever finished the book I had started, this would be the title. This must have been uppermost in my mind when I was interviewed by a reporter from the Vancouver Sun in 1982.
The term so intrigued the Sun reporter that his story carried the heading “Victoria Couple Fight Bronze Killer.” Whether this suggested a bizarre crime of some sort, I don’t know, but it certainly caught the attention of his readers and be that as it may, it got me an interview on the CBC radio program As It Happens which could be heard internationally ... and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
A Condition Called Hemochromatosis
For so long we had associated a deep tan with Tom that we had taken his skin color for granted. Because we lived in one of the sunniest places on earth, I certainly could not tell if there was much difference. However, in addition to the bronzing, there were many factors (not least among them the rapid advance of maturity-onset diabetes and the decreasing response to insulin) which pointed to a condition called hemochromatosis which, I was told, was more commonly known in North America as “bronze diabetes.”
Some people, it seems, accumulate an overload through ingesting too much iron—as is the case with many African tribes who cook and brew beer in rusty iron pots—but there was much to indicate that Tom’s hemochromatosis was hereditary. As there was not even one of his uncles alive to testify, it could only be surmised that one or all of those handsome, “tanned” men who had died so young were victims of the same killer—even if the method of attack had varied. Possibly Tom’s father, whose death had been ascribed to “heart failure” at 50, had died as a result of the same condition.
Article comments
1 - Veronica Smith
Having family members with Hemochromatosis,and knowing people with it, I keep coming back in the hopes that you have posted a new article because I enjoy your writings. Well I'm not disappointed. This one is excellent, and I think it was a good idea to post the video on it. Well, now do you mind if ask you a question?
In the video you make the point that not everybody is pigmented at the time of diagnosis, and, having read the ‘Bronze Killer” some years ago, I recall that you did mention that in the book, but I can’t recall precisely what you wrote.
May I ask you please to remind me of the details?
2 - Marie Warder
Thank you for your comments, Veronica. Naturally it is gratifying to find that someone enjoys my submissions and that you find my writings of use to you. I think that what you are referring to is the fact that I didn't mention that not everyone presents with “the tan that does not fade.” Redheads are often paler than normal’
In one of my articles illustrated by two men who were deeply pigmented I think I did I mention that, in my experience men who are not always visibly bronzed all over; often only the genitals are darker than normal. Not everyone presents with the same symptoms.
Referring to the video. I actually regret that I this was done because, in re-examining the article for myself, I feel that it somewhat distracts from the original purpose -- which was mainly to honor Prof. Finch.
Perhaps it would have been better if it had at least appeared further down.
3 - Melinda (I've posted comments before and have just read this on Facebook
I also enjoyed reading the article, and I don't agree that it was a mistake to include the video. I allude to the fact that, in it, you make a point of mentioning that you found comfort in the fact that your daughter could be “spared much by timely intervention,” and as I watched the video and saw what eventually happened to your husband I understood what you meant by that word “timely.”… I hope it will encourage others to go for testing when there is even the remotest chance that they might have inherited this awful disorder. I know that, in some countries, people fear that they might be penalized by insurance companies, which is quite understandable, but I think the alternative is worse.
I have a situation in my extended family which I find difficult to deal with. Several of them absolutely refuse to go for testing. They simply don't want to know. It's hope they watch this video and learn the error of their ways!
4 - Steve Collins
I'm another who needs to keep checking the info from time to time, so I have the E-book version of "The Bronze Killer." I recommend that because it is so easy so "search"
5 - Another of your "Hemies"
Please keep on writing! Forwarding the links is one way of "bombarding" my reluctant relatives!
By the way, re your "Iron on the Brain" story, I see that one of the provinces in Canada is paying for MS patients to have the surgery.
6 - Marie Warder
Thanks for the encouragement.
If you are referring to Saskatchewan,the province is not paying for surgery, but will fund more research.
7 - Martin
Thank you for posting this. I admired the professor greatly, and often wondered what had happened to him. - A truly great man!