Hemophilia 24/7 - a Column by Cazandra Campos-MacDonald

My 16-year-old son, Caeleb, is on summer break. He told me that summer is a little too boring and the school year is a little too much. He is definitely a teenager. Next month he begins summer band, and boredom will become exhaustion. Caeleb is already concerned about marching…

Nothing makes me happier than when my oldest son, Julian, is home and my family is all under the same roof. We cook, laugh, and watch movies. My happy place is with my husband and two sons. One night over dinner, our conversation moved toward the high school band…

My husband and I are both United Methodist clergy, so our children are called PKs (pastors’ kids). Some PKs earn reputations for misbehaving, giving their parents plenty of gray hairs. Other PKs are kind and considerate, attend youth groups and Bible studies, and are seen as model children. My sons…

Caeleb, the child doctors said I’d never have, has changed my life. He is 16 and thinking about his future. That may sound like a normal thing for a 16-year-old, but I was unsure about his future with his hemophilia A. His life with this disease has been…

Spring is in the air. With flowers blooming and birds chirping, this time of year is filled with new life and new beginnings. It’s also graduation season, a time that brings hope. Families share loved ones’ accomplishments and celebrate the end of one season and the beginning of the next.

My biggest fear for my sons, who live with severe hemophilia, is an auto accident. When my oldest son, Julian, began to drive, I impressed upon him anew the importance of wearing a MedicAlert emblem. He wore it like dog tags for years when he was younger,…

I’m late getting my garden ready for the season. I considered giving in and leaving the weeds and remnants from last year’s harvest for another season, but seeing the butterflies and bees come to my space and picking fresh vegetables brings me too much happiness. So I enlisted my husband…

I sat in a hotel ballroom with hundreds of people who gathered to pay tribute to their loved ones. The names and pictures of the dearly departed appeared on giant screens at the front of the room. Many people had their cellphones ready, anxiously waiting to capture the image…

I’m looking forward to attending the Hemophilia Federation of America’s annual symposium, running today through Saturday. I’ll be among the community I consider family. But it’s been a few years since I attended a large conference. I’m excited about reconnecting with old friends, but I’m also a bit…

There are moments in our lives that are seared into our memories. Some of those in my life include getting married, giving birth, starting a new job, and bringing my now-husband to meet my family. One vivid memory is when my obstetrician told me that I would soon know more…