Columns

For the past week, my inbox has been filling with the same notification: Someone new has registered for “Dismissed.” I read every one. Some names I know, the advocates and friends who’ve sat beside me at conferences for years. Most I don’t. Those are the ones I think about. A…

My youngest son was frequently hospitalized due to bleeding episodes brought on by hemophilia, and it often left me feeling trapped and stressed. I brought work projects with me, but the constant interruptions left me feeling powerless and unable to focus. My anxiety often soared. Caeleb picked up on my…

I am the mother of Lean Archer De Guzman. This is our family’s journey after my son was diagnosed with severe hemophilia. When Lean was 5 months old, I noticed bruises appearing on his body. It was the first time I’d experienced a condition like this, so I was…

A symphony is a long musical piece with a clear structure, traditionally divided into four sections called movements. Each has its own tempo, mood, and rhythm. The pauses between them give the audience time to take in each part. Usually, the first movement is fast and lively. Then comes a…

I’ve realized that one of the greatest challenges of parenting is teaching children how to care for others without making them feel responsible for everyone’s well-being. This is especially complicated when one parent lives with a disability or chronic illness. My husband, Jared, has severe hemophilia B and epilepsy.

Three years. That’s how long I put off a colonoscopy I’d been told not to put off. This wasn’t a first screening I could shrug off. At my previous colonoscopy, doctors found and removed a precancerous polyp. The instruction was simple: Come back in five years for a follow-up. And…

When my oldest son, Julian, was 6, he started a ritual whenever I traveled away from home: He selected a small stuffed animal from his collection and placed it in my suitcase. When I asked why he had given me the toy, he responded, “Because I don’t want you…

For more than nine years, I’ve shared my experiences raising two sons with hemophilia through hundreds of columns, articles, and videos. Sept. 30 will be my last column, and these last few pieces capture what matters most to me. I’m excited for what comes next in my writing journey.

Here is something many people do not know about me: I spent a year studying industrial pharmacy. I don’t always think to mention it. After all, I never earned the degree. I had attended a science high school, so pursuing a science degree at university felt like the natural next…

When I was diagnosed with hemophilia decades ago, I was 10 years old, and nobody asked me what I wanted. That isn’t a complaint about my doctors. There was nothing to ask. There was hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease, and one way to treat them. You…