Sharron asked Ronald H. Balson:

First let me say I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling story, great portrayal of such a strong character. However, as you acknowledge your research and the many people who help you, I thought I'd point out there were no antibiotics being used in Germany during the war. The Germans only used Sulpha drugs and had virtually no access to Penicillin. Is Lena's mentioning it just a mistake? Just an FYI.

Ronald H. Balson Thank you for reading my book so carefully. I certainly am not an expert in antibiotics and I believe you are correct that access to Penicillin was not available. This is what I have discovered about antibiotics developed in Germany: "The first sulfonamide and the first systemically active antibacterial drug, Prontosil, was developed by a research team led by Gerhard Domagk in 1932 or 1933 at the Bayer Laboratories of the IG Farben conglomerate in Germany, for which Domagk received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Sulfanilamide, the active drug of Prontosil, was not patentable as it had already been in use in the dye industry for some years. The discovery and development of this sulfonamide drug opened the era of antibacterial."

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