JONATHAN HILL, AUTHOR, BLOOD OF THE PALADIN

Jonathan Hill grew up in Novato, California, north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. He was your average kid: an Eagle Scout, varsity high school swimmer, tenor in the school choir, and a science-fiction and fantasy nerd. In college, he worked at a Boy Scout high adventure camp in the Sierra Mountains, Camp Wolfeboro BSA, and as a lifeguard instructor at the YMCA. He earned his AA, BA and MA degrees. He married a close friend from high school and is the father of two teenaged boys. 

But that is only part of his story.

In 1971, at age 2, Jonathan was diagnosed with severe hemophilia A, also known as factor VIII deficiency. As a boy, he attended Camp Hemotion in Northern California and went on to serve as a counselor as an adult. As a young man, he faced “The Three H’s” that affected so many members of the bleeding disorders community in the 1980s and 1990s: hemophilia, HIV and hepatitis C.

Seeking to turn his pain into something positive, Jonathan became an active member of the bleeding disorders community serving on the executive boards of both the New England Hemophilia Association (NEHA) and the Central California Hemophilia Foundation (CCHF). In addition, Jonathan became an advocate and public speaker in the community at both the local and national levels, participating in the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Act movement as well as serving as a panelist at several national bleeding disorders conferences and chapter events.

Blood of the Paladin is based on real events in Jonathan’s life. The graphic novel explores how he learned to understand, accept, manage, and finally embrace his bleeding disorder and the other medical challenges he encountered on his journey. The powerful story showcases the important role his family, friends, and doctors played in helping him become his own best medical advocate and champion. Two artists were brought on to illuminate the story of how Dungeons and Dragons, the iconic fantasy role-playing game, provided an escape from the real world, helping Jonathan learn to process life and death situations both real and imagined.

“I hope my tale can in a small way help preserve and illuminate the history of what the bleeding disorder community faced in the 1980s and 1990s, and how we came together as a community to overcome and learn from it.” It was a long road, but with some perseverance and focus, as Jonathan’s dad would say, “Just focus on placing one foot in front of the other and you’ll reach the summit eventually.”