Joe is the father of two sons with hemophilia. He and his wife, Cazandra, are active members in the bleeding disorders community and often facilitate workshops both locally and nationally. Joe is a pastor in the United Methodist Church and writes a blog about spirituality and faith. You may follow his blog at www.joekmac.com.
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some take the form of needles that terrify young children. Others terrorize us as we battle chronic illnesses. Scary creatures reveal themselves and change us because of the horrors they bring into our lives. Ghosts and shadows leave us breathless and…
My youngest son continues to celebrate good health. The last time he suffered a joint bleed was in February 2014. A million years seem to have passed since the days of horrific bleeds and endless hospital visits. We used to know every nurse by name on the pediatric…
There is a children’s picture book called “How Big is Baby?” The response to the baby is, “Baby is sooo big!” It is a great book as it empowers our children to know that they are a large part of life. We remind them that the love we…
Dear Doctor, We are concerned about the plan regarding our son’s treatment … The letter started out that way. Like many people, we lived in a culture that treated our doctors like gods. How dare we question anything! They had medical degrees, and we did not. Trust…
Before I share my story, I must make a disclaimer. The pastor/counselor side of me cannot continue without acknowledging that my story is not everyone else’s story. Some people in the bleeding disorders community do not have the support that many of us appreciate. I can’t believe how…
My son has his seventh port lodged on his left side, between two ribs, just below his chest. This one is his most successful port regarding the amount of time (two-plus years) and accessibility. When the doctor placed one of the earlier ports at “MacDonald the Younger’s”…
Mr. Man started coughing on Friday and grew much worse by Saturday. My boy struggled with flu-like symptoms all weekend. We thought that by giving him allergy meds and cough suppressants, he would recover and be well for school on Monday. No such luck. The medicines wouldn’t work,…
Part three in a series. Read parts one and two. With the invention of the map created by my son’s medical team, my wife, and me, the most challenging year that we ever experienced ended. My son did not have another absence while in elementary school due…
Part two in a series. Read part one. My family was taught many lessons in the year that everything appeared to fall apart and hemophilia became a nightmare in our lives. The most significant lesson was to cherish every moment. Sometimes in life’s most significant challenges,…
Part one in a series. I stood over my son’s hospital bed, waiting for the morphine to kick in and give him some relief. “MacDonald the Younger” continued to scream as the pain became unbearable. My boy had once described to me his experience of a bleeding…
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