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Losing family members is hard. Long-lived lives that come to an end, distance that prevents relatives from remaining close, and estrangements following family squabbles are a few ways to lose family members, and it can be devastating. Yet we manage to pick ourselves up and go on with our lives,…

My husband, Jared, and I recently talked about getting a dog. I’m excited and can’t wait. We spent an entire night flipping through pictures of various dog breeds. We finally managed to narrow down our selection to four possible types. At the top of the list is the Cavalier…

If I had to define my self-quarantine in one word, it would be peace. I live in a peaceful, small, rural town. My street is quiet and my porch has a wonderful view. Three of us are at home — my husband, one of my sons, and me. My…

In the past month, it has been hard for me to focus on hemophilia advocacy efforts, which normally are a burning passion. Disappointment over an opportunity to work more deeply with the hemophilia community that didn’t pan out and COVID-19 realities have me pulling back.

My husband is down with a bleed for the second time since the COVID-19 quarantine began.   It hasn’t even been a week since he recovered from his latest abdominal bleed. We were only starting to settle back into our usual routine. I was happy to…

“A River Runs Through It” is one of my favorite movies, but calling it that doesn’t conjure up just how deeply I feel about it. This movie is more than a favorite — it is like a cherished dream. With Robert Redford’s voice richly narrating the story of…

I can’t complain too much about my quarantine life. In my home are my husband, Joe, and 14-year-old son, Caeleb. There’s also my 14-year-old spunky, one-eyed, geriatric Corgi mix, Betty. I don’t have to worry about homeschooling little children or entertaining anyone. This is a good thing. But…

My husband, Jared, has a new resolution: to start keeping a bleeding journal. In his journal, Jared plans to write about recent bleeding episodes. Each entry will describe the sensation of a particular bleed, the affected area of the body, and steps he took to nurse the injury back to…

With all the issues surrounding the new coronavirus, I can’t help remembering about 15 years ago when we faced the possibilities of a medical shortage in the bleeding disorders community. A shortage of factor VIII meant that many in the hemophilia population faced a lack of medicine to…

Our world is changing. Shelves are partially stocked, hugging friends is discouraged, church services are online, and we study and work remotely. We crave connection. Things will improve eventually, but that seems a lifetime away. Finding routines and things in our lives that are “normal” is not always easy,…