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When my oldest son, Julian, started elementary school in 2001, I was encouraged to proceed with a 504 plan for his protection. Section 504 refers to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that guarantees the needs of students with disabilities are met in school. I was surprised when I…

When you live with a bleeding disorder, life can sometimes seem to be nothing but chaos. Just as one bleed seems to heal, another one begins. You start to infuse a factor at closer intervals, and before you know it, you are setting your alarm for factor dosing…

More than 21 years ago, when my first child was born and diagnosed with severe hemophilia A, he was very fortunate to have first-generation clotting factors available. These were concentrates stabilized with albumin that were very safe. When the factor was reconstituted with sterile water, a seemingly…

Whenever I hear the phrase, “Knowledge is power, ” I think back to the animated children’s television show Schoolhouse Rock. I loved how fun, catchy songs taught kids how bills are passed, the preamble to the Constitution, and my favorite tune, Conjunction Junction. Every episode started with an intro stating,…

When my oldest son was diagnosed with severe hemophilia at birth, I found myself catapulted into a world I never knew existed. I became part of the bleeding disorder community, like it or not. I slowly began to realize that this community was filled with passionate, well-educated people who knew…

In the bleeding disorder world, there are often opportunities to earn a few extra dollars. Research companies, pharmaceutical companies, and reporters will often reach out to members of the community to learn more about the disorder for their research. “Honorarium Offered” is a subject line in an email that will…

When you live with a bleeding disorder, there are many things that are out of your control. When the next bleed will happen, how long a hospital stay will last, what the results of the blood work will tell you, and how much you will pay per unit…

When you live with a bleeding disorder there are both good seasons and bad seasons. The good seasons are filled with scheduled prophy infusions, no bleeds, no missed days from school, and no calls from the school clinic. It just doesn’t get better. The bad seasons are when hemophilia…