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Tell Me I’m Okay: A Doctor’s Story
Throughout my years of practice, people have often asked me why I decided to specialise in sexual health. The question is not surprising given that sexual health doctors are not held in the same regard as those who work in other medical specialties ... We sexual health physicians don’t grow rich, but we have a wealth of stories-wry, funny, and sad-all illustrative of the human condition.
Author and retired sexual health doctor David Bradford relates a remarkable set of stories about growing up as a gay child in a strongly Christian family, struggling with his sexuality, serving as an army doctor in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, working as Director of the Melbourne Communicable Diseases Centre at the time of the arrival of HIV/AIDS, and in private practice with hundreds of AIDS patients, many of whom did not survive. Here is a humane, wise, thoughtful voice, always conscious of the wonderful, the absurd, the fragile nature of life. David Bradford’s story tells us much about who we are, how we’ve changed, and where some at least of our scars have come from.
David Bradford was a gay Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Physician in Melbourne and Cairns. He graduated as a doctor in 1965. After ten difficult years, including Vietnam, he discovered his specialty. During the AIDS epidemic, his patients became his life. In retirement, he and his husband live in Melbourne.
Author and retired sexual health doctor David Bradford relates a remarkable set of stories about growing up as a gay child in a strongly Christian family, struggling with his sexuality, serving as an army doctor in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, working as Director of the Melbourne Communicable Diseases Centre at the time of the arrival of HIV/AIDS, and in private practice with hundreds of AIDS patients, many of whom did not survive. Here is a humane, wise, thoughtful voice, always conscious of the wonderful, the absurd, the fragile nature of life. David Bradford’s story tells us much about who we are, how we’ve changed, and where some at least of our scars have come from.
David Bradford was a gay Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Physician in Melbourne and Cairns. He graduated as a doctor in 1965. After ten difficult years, including Vietnam, he discovered his specialty. During the AIDS epidemic, his patients became his life. In retirement, he and his husband live in Melbourne.
244 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 24, 2022
The author is an approximate contemporary of mine and in the early parts of the book, as he becomes aware of his sexuality I found many parallels, I warmed to the author. But he is the other side of the world from me so obviously his life has been different. His accounts of serving in Vietnam were interesting as was his gradual and growing interest as a young army doctor in treating sexually transmitted diseases.
After he left the army he describes meeting the man he would share his life with and his successful career in STI medicine, often seen as a Cinderella branch of medicine, but he believed in his work and in his patients and stuck with it to achieve eminence in his field. Some of the stories he tells are hear rending, especially after the advent of HIV/AIDS, but his basic optimism never fades. His is in interesting view point from which to view these events.
After he left the army he describes meeting the man he would share his life with and his successful career in STI medicine, often seen as a Cinderella branch of medicine, but he believed in his work and in his patients and stuck with it to achieve eminence in his field. Some of the stories he tells are hear rending, especially after the advent of HIV/AIDS, but his basic optimism never fades. His is in interesting view point from which to view these events.
abandoned
April 11, 2021Dr Bradford has clearly lived a unique life and I don't seek to discredit what he achieved during the course of his career. But this just isn't really a book for me.
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November 10, 2018Page 118
Eventually, James told his family about his sexuality and his diagnosis. The sister, with him he had been very close, and his brother in law, were supportive and help explain the situation to his parents. But, his sister had two small children and couldn’t provide a home for James. Thankfully, a very kind, somewhat older gay man – a good Catholic – opened his house, and undertook to care for James for the rest of this life.
Page 119
As Anne and I left, she whispered to me, “If you are brought up from childhood to believe that God is a stern father figure, it’s no wonder you fight until your last breath to resist going to meet him.“
Pages 122–123
We knew by now that it was unprotected anal sex that lead to spread of HIV among gay men, not the presents or absence of bathhouses.… In my opinion, the shutting of gay saunas was one of those measures dear to the hearts of politicians – not necessarily an effective action, but one that made it appear as though something was being done.
Eventually, James told his family about his sexuality and his diagnosis. The sister, with him he had been very close, and his brother in law, were supportive and help explain the situation to his parents. But, his sister had two small children and couldn’t provide a home for James. Thankfully, a very kind, somewhat older gay man – a good Catholic – opened his house, and undertook to care for James for the rest of this life.
Page 119
As Anne and I left, she whispered to me, “If you are brought up from childhood to believe that God is a stern father figure, it’s no wonder you fight until your last breath to resist going to meet him.“
Pages 122–123
We knew by now that it was unprotected anal sex that lead to spread of HIV among gay men, not the presents or absence of bathhouses.… In my opinion, the shutting of gay saunas was one of those measures dear to the hearts of politicians – not necessarily an effective action, but one that made it appear as though something was being done.
November 23, 2021
‘Throughout my years of practice, people have often asked me why I decided to specialise in sexual health. The question is not surprising given that sexual health doctors are not held in the same regard as those who work in other medical specialties ... We sexual health physicians don’t grow rich, but we have a wealth of stories – wry, funny, and sad – all illustrative of the human condition.’
In Tell Me I’m Okay, author and retired sexual health doctor David Bradford relates a remarkable set of stories ... about growing up as a gay child in a strongly Christian family, struggling with his sexuality, serving as an army doctor during the Vietnam War, working as Director of the MCDC at the time of the arrival of HIV/AIDS, and in private practice with hundreds of AIDS patients, many of whom did not survive.Here is a humane, wise, thoughtful voice, always conscious of the wonderful, the absurd, the fragile nature of life. David Bradford’s story tells us much about who we are, how we’ve changed, and where some at least of our scars have come from.The initial cases of HIV/AIDS were a cluster of injecting drug users and gay men with no known cause of impaired immunity who showed symptoms of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a rare opportunistic infection that occurred in immunocompromised people. Soon thereafter, an unexpected number of homosexual men developed a previously rare skin cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).AIDS stigma exists around the world in a variety of ways(instrumental,symbolic,courtesy) including ostracism, rejection, discrimination and avoidance;compulsory HIV testing without prior consent or protection of confidentiality; violence against HIV-infected individuals or
people who are perceived to be infected with it.
Often, AIDS stigma is expressed in conjunction with one or more other stigmas, particularly those associated with homosexuality, bisexuality, promiscuity, prostitution, and intravenous drug use.So many myths about the disease had to be dispelled.The mid 1990s was when the tide started turning against HIV/AIDS as effective treatments were discovered,tried and published.
In Tell Me I’m Okay, author and retired sexual health doctor David Bradford relates a remarkable set of stories ... about growing up as a gay child in a strongly Christian family, struggling with his sexuality, serving as an army doctor during the Vietnam War, working as Director of the MCDC at the time of the arrival of HIV/AIDS, and in private practice with hundreds of AIDS patients, many of whom did not survive.Here is a humane, wise, thoughtful voice, always conscious of the wonderful, the absurd, the fragile nature of life. David Bradford’s story tells us much about who we are, how we’ve changed, and where some at least of our scars have come from.The initial cases of HIV/AIDS were a cluster of injecting drug users and gay men with no known cause of impaired immunity who showed symptoms of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a rare opportunistic infection that occurred in immunocompromised people. Soon thereafter, an unexpected number of homosexual men developed a previously rare skin cancer called Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).AIDS stigma exists around the world in a variety of ways(instrumental,symbolic,courtesy) including ostracism, rejection, discrimination and avoidance;compulsory HIV testing without prior consent or protection of confidentiality; violence against HIV-infected individuals or
people who are perceived to be infected with it.
Often, AIDS stigma is expressed in conjunction with one or more other stigmas, particularly those associated with homosexuality, bisexuality, promiscuity, prostitution, and intravenous drug use.So many myths about the disease had to be dispelled.The mid 1990s was when the tide started turning against HIV/AIDS as effective treatments were discovered,tried and published.
June 10, 2023
Beautifully written and rich in description. I had a brief understanding of the aids epidemic in Australia and the grim reaper TV as always comes to mind. The problem with a brief understanding is you forget about all the individual stories there are to be to told. In Bradford’s book we meet multiple aids patients, some in denial, some accepting, some identifying as gay and some not. There were so many people affected by AIDS. What I loved about this book was that it felt authentic, empathetic and sympathetic. Bradford clearly cares deeply about his patients and was very passionate about sexual health. His own story about growing up in Catholic household gay and coming to terms with this in his twenties, enriched the story. I would highly recommend.
December 20, 2018
A bit scattered at times, but an informative collection of stories detailing a doctor’s experience related to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Australia in both practice and life. Really enjoyed reading this as it’s a topic close to my heart.
September 29, 2018
An excellent recount of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1990s - heartfelt and humorous in equal parts
January 18, 2019
Superb and captivating.
A piece of modern day history we so easily forget wound around a personal story of life and professional accomplishment.
A piece of modern day history we so easily forget wound around a personal story of life and professional accomplishment.
September 29, 2019
Detailed HIV/AIDS in Australia - eye-opening, honest and well-written. Would recommend.
June 7, 2020
What is particularly interesting about this book is being able to see what led Dr Bradford to his career, and also to learn more about the impact of AIDS at the coal face of patient care.
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May 12, 2022DNF
May 19, 2024
Shining a light on HIV/AIDS! There is so much value in reading and disseminating information about sexual health.
November 16, 2018
An informative account of going through the AIDS/HIV epidemic and other things really loved this book
October 22, 2018
Not the best medical memoir I’ve read but still worthwhile. Interesting and devastating account of the AIDS epidemic from a gay doctor specialising in sexual health
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews