Armageddon Lost Q & A
Is this story based on any real people or events?
No. The characters and events are entirely fictional.
Is Hilldale real?
No. Statements and actions are attributed to officials of various organizations within the
manuscripts. Rather than take the chance on having a reader attribute these things to any real
organization, I opted to create the location of Hilldale.
What about the characters' appearances? Based on real people?
No. Each character came to me complete with a mental image and physical description. In the
time since I wrote them, I've enjoyed coming across photos that look like the characters to me.
In a couple cases, I went back into the story to add references to those real-life people, in
hopes it will help readers get the same visuals I have. I've added a few photos to this page as I
came across images that reminded me of the characters; most of them link to the original pages
that contain the photos.
Thorn is written as having both HIV and leukemia. Aren't the chances of that
astronomical?
No. HIV has been associated with some forms of cancer. The University of Minnesota Cancer
Center reported on HIV-related malignancies in children in 1998. See also this forum, in which
an individual with both HIV and leukemia questions whether there was a causal link.
Fortunately, medical advances have brought about a tremendous decline in the number of
children born with HIV over the past few years. As reported by Medical News Today, fifteen
years ago, the average number of babies born with HIV annually in the U.S. was 2,000... by
2006 that number had dropped to 200. The hope is to achieve complete elimination of HIV in
newborns. Once, children born with HIV usually died in early childhood. Now many are living into
their twenties.
There've also been tremendous medical advances in the treatment of leukemia. For example,
in 2006, Medical News Today reported a St Jude estimation that a 90% cure rate For Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia was within reach.
You have an HIV-positive character storing sperm so he can someday be a father. Do
people really do that?
Yes. There's a procedure called 'sperm washing' that reduces (some say eliminates) the risk of
infection to the mother and child. According to a 2006 report, more than 2,000 HIV-positive men
worldwide have fathered children through this method, without a single case of a mother or
child contracting HIV.
Thorn is portrayed as being attractive as well as physically fit and muscular, despite his
HIV and leukemia. Isn't that impossible?
No. People with these illnesses can be as attractive and healthy-seeming as anyone else --
especially since they may enjoy years of relative health. In many cases, only those very close to
them are aware of their situations and the struggles they may face on a daily basis. The extent
of Thorn's physical capabilities is improbable but by no means impossible. In fact, some people
achieve remark physical goals in defiance of sickness. Louie Bonpua was an amazing man.
Diver Greg Louganis won Olympic Gold in 1988, despite subsequent reports that he was HIV-
positive at the time. As further indication of the possibility of HIV-positive individuals qualifying
for the Olympics, in 1996, the deputy medical chairman for the International Amateur Boxing
Association favored mandatory HIV testing for Olympic fighters. In 2002, HIV-positive gymnast
Matthew Cusick evidently was good enough to be hired by Cirque du Soleil -- though he later
lost the job, reportedly due to his HIV-positive status. And Magic Johnson was pretty impressive
on the court, despite reportedly being HIV-positive.
With regard to Thorn's leukemia, I try to adequately portray the effects on his life of both
remission and relapse. Swimmer Lindsay Payne has achieved numerous major
accomplishments, despite having leukemia.
You say that when Shane was born, doctors labeled him a 'true hermaphrodite'. Does
that mean he had both male and female genitalia?
No. Babies aren't born that way, with both types of genitalia. The term 'true hermaphrodite' has
been used to refer to individuals born with both ovarian and testicular tissue. Often, the
outward manifestation is one of ambiguous genitalia, as was the case with Shane. The doctors
didn't know whether they were seeing a small penis or a large clitoris, a scrotum or labia.
According to information available on the website of the Intersex Society of North America
(ISNA):
"If you ask experts at medical centers how often a child is born so noticeably atypical in terms of
genitalia that a specialist in sex differentiation is called in, the number comes out to about 1 in
1500 to 1 in 2000 births. But a lot more people than that are born with subtler forms of sex
anatomy variations, some of which won’t show up until later in life."
Are stories like Shane's common?
No. Gender dysphoria has many faces, and each case is unique.
Shane's dysphoria is caused by the fact that he was born intersexed and was subsequently
masculinized by medical intervention (surgeries as well as hormone treatments), but his
emotional and psychological self remains female.
Shane is a fictional character. If he were a real person and medical intervention had taken
place, he would likely have been feminized versus masculinized. Numerous resources available
on the web indicate that, before the medical community rethought the practice of operating on
intersex children, the goal in the vast majority of cases was to give the children the appearance
of 'standard' females. This was regarded as having a higher chance of success than attempting
to create functional male genitalia. There have, however, been cases in which intersex children
were assigned as males and their bodies were accordingly medically altered. Mairi MacDonald
published a very moving account of her own experiences. Katherine A. Mason wrote of an
intersexed individual assigned as male.
Thanks to the efforts of organizations such as ISNA, the incidence of early surgeries on intersex
children seems to be on the decline. ISNA recommends that intersex children be assigned as
girl or boy, but without early surgery. For anyone wishing to learn more, the ISNA website
contains a wealth of information on intersex issues. Bodies Like Ours, another organization,
provides intersex information and peer support.
So why did I write Shane the way I did? I really have no answer, except that's the way the
character came to me.
Shane stands up when he plays drums. Do any real drummers do that?
Yes. Among the most well-known stand-up drummers is Slim Jim Phantom of "The Stray Cats".
That being said, even if such an entity as a 'stand-up drummer' hadn't existed, I'd have written
Shane that way because it's how I saw him in my mind.
Stand-up drumming requires unique technique. Stand-up drummers often play with a modified
set-up to accommodate the stance.
Are there real high school teachers who've played in bands?
Yes. Though admittedly they may be better behaved than my teachers in Armageddon Lost,
who are in no way based on these real people.
Check out 'The Faculty' and the 'German Art Students'.
No. The characters and events are entirely fictional.
Is Hilldale real?
No. Statements and actions are attributed to officials of various organizations within the
manuscripts. Rather than take the chance on having a reader attribute these things to any real
organization, I opted to create the location of Hilldale.
What about the characters' appearances? Based on real people?
No. Each character came to me complete with a mental image and physical description. In the
time since I wrote them, I've enjoyed coming across photos that look like the characters to me.
In a couple cases, I went back into the story to add references to those real-life people, in
hopes it will help readers get the same visuals I have. I've added a few photos to this page as I
came across images that reminded me of the characters; most of them link to the original pages
that contain the photos.
Thorn is written as having both HIV and leukemia. Aren't the chances of that
astronomical?
No. HIV has been associated with some forms of cancer. The University of Minnesota Cancer
Center reported on HIV-related malignancies in children in 1998. See also this forum, in which
an individual with both HIV and leukemia questions whether there was a causal link.
Fortunately, medical advances have brought about a tremendous decline in the number of
children born with HIV over the past few years. As reported by Medical News Today, fifteen
years ago, the average number of babies born with HIV annually in the U.S. was 2,000... by
2006 that number had dropped to 200. The hope is to achieve complete elimination of HIV in
newborns. Once, children born with HIV usually died in early childhood. Now many are living into
their twenties.
There've also been tremendous medical advances in the treatment of leukemia. For example,
in 2006, Medical News Today reported a St Jude estimation that a 90% cure rate For Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia was within reach.
You have an HIV-positive character storing sperm so he can someday be a father. Do
people really do that?
Yes. There's a procedure called 'sperm washing' that reduces (some say eliminates) the risk of
infection to the mother and child. According to a 2006 report, more than 2,000 HIV-positive men
worldwide have fathered children through this method, without a single case of a mother or
child contracting HIV.
Thorn is portrayed as being attractive as well as physically fit and muscular, despite his
HIV and leukemia. Isn't that impossible?
No. People with these illnesses can be as attractive and healthy-seeming as anyone else --
especially since they may enjoy years of relative health. In many cases, only those very close to
them are aware of their situations and the struggles they may face on a daily basis. The extent
of Thorn's physical capabilities is improbable but by no means impossible. In fact, some people
achieve remark physical goals in defiance of sickness. Louie Bonpua was an amazing man.
Diver Greg Louganis won Olympic Gold in 1988, despite subsequent reports that he was HIV-
positive at the time. As further indication of the possibility of HIV-positive individuals qualifying
for the Olympics, in 1996, the deputy medical chairman for the International Amateur Boxing
Association favored mandatory HIV testing for Olympic fighters. In 2002, HIV-positive gymnast
Matthew Cusick evidently was good enough to be hired by Cirque du Soleil -- though he later
lost the job, reportedly due to his HIV-positive status. And Magic Johnson was pretty impressive
on the court, despite reportedly being HIV-positive.
With regard to Thorn's leukemia, I try to adequately portray the effects on his life of both
remission and relapse. Swimmer Lindsay Payne has achieved numerous major
accomplishments, despite having leukemia.
You say that when Shane was born, doctors labeled him a 'true hermaphrodite'. Does
that mean he had both male and female genitalia?
No. Babies aren't born that way, with both types of genitalia. The term 'true hermaphrodite' has
been used to refer to individuals born with both ovarian and testicular tissue. Often, the
outward manifestation is one of ambiguous genitalia, as was the case with Shane. The doctors
didn't know whether they were seeing a small penis or a large clitoris, a scrotum or labia.
According to information available on the website of the Intersex Society of North America
(ISNA):
"If you ask experts at medical centers how often a child is born so noticeably atypical in terms of
genitalia that a specialist in sex differentiation is called in, the number comes out to about 1 in
1500 to 1 in 2000 births. But a lot more people than that are born with subtler forms of sex
anatomy variations, some of which won’t show up until later in life."
Are stories like Shane's common?
No. Gender dysphoria has many faces, and each case is unique.
Shane's dysphoria is caused by the fact that he was born intersexed and was subsequently
masculinized by medical intervention (surgeries as well as hormone treatments), but his
emotional and psychological self remains female.
Shane is a fictional character. If he were a real person and medical intervention had taken
place, he would likely have been feminized versus masculinized. Numerous resources available
on the web indicate that, before the medical community rethought the practice of operating on
intersex children, the goal in the vast majority of cases was to give the children the appearance
of 'standard' females. This was regarded as having a higher chance of success than attempting
to create functional male genitalia. There have, however, been cases in which intersex children
were assigned as males and their bodies were accordingly medically altered. Mairi MacDonald
published a very moving account of her own experiences. Katherine A. Mason wrote of an
intersexed individual assigned as male.
Thanks to the efforts of organizations such as ISNA, the incidence of early surgeries on intersex
children seems to be on the decline. ISNA recommends that intersex children be assigned as
girl or boy, but without early surgery. For anyone wishing to learn more, the ISNA website
contains a wealth of information on intersex issues. Bodies Like Ours, another organization,
provides intersex information and peer support.
So why did I write Shane the way I did? I really have no answer, except that's the way the
character came to me.
Shane stands up when he plays drums. Do any real drummers do that?
Yes. Among the most well-known stand-up drummers is Slim Jim Phantom of "The Stray Cats".
That being said, even if such an entity as a 'stand-up drummer' hadn't existed, I'd have written
Shane that way because it's how I saw him in my mind.
Stand-up drumming requires unique technique. Stand-up drummers often play with a modified
set-up to accommodate the stance.
Are there real high school teachers who've played in bands?
Yes. Though admittedly they may be better behaved than my teachers in Armageddon Lost,
who are in no way based on these real people.
Check out 'The Faculty' and the 'German Art Students'.
