Columns

I’ve spent several nights in the hospital with my son, and I play tag with my wife. It is her turn to trade duties with me. I leave the medical center and head straight to the church, lead worship, eat a meal, and return to the hospital to…

I was born into this world with hemophilia. As a child, it was a reality I had to face, and I have no one to blame for my misfortune. Did I want to be born? Did my parents intend that I have a different life? No. It would be wrong…

I married the love of my life on Dec. 19, 1992. I laugh when I think about how young and naive we were when we began our journey as husband and wife. I had some ideas of how my life would turn out regarding my career, our home,…

I’ve been pondering the minimalism movement a lot lately. This is because I recently found myself with more than a dozen boxes from my childhood home, and along with these came a sense of responsibility to organize the contents inside of them. As my husband and I unpacked the…

The MacDonald home celebrates this Christmas season with a little more excitement than those holidays of the not-so-distant past. My youngest son’s health is the best it’s ever been, and we are in an excellent place. We have nothing to complain about. Life is good and the business…

I am already looking forward to 2019. The first half of 2018 was not filled with joy, but fortunately, the last six months have been pretty wonderful. Part of this has been Caeleb’s new treatment with Hemlibra (emicizumab-kxwh). It has truly changed our lives. His quality of…

Dear hemophilia, Truth be told, I hate you sometimes. I especially hate you when you suddenly pop out of nowhere and find ways to ruin my husband’s life. I hate you when you encroach on plans made weeks in advance; long-standing plans that were carefully and painstakingly thought out. As…

Special days come up: holidays, birthdays, and vacations. We take time to relax and enjoy ourselves, but there is always something staring us in the face. Needles do not care what days may be essential or ordinary. They call to our families, reminding us that hemophilia does not…

My local hemophilia organization just held its annual Christmas party. During these celebrations, we are reminded that we belong to a community that empowers, cares, and provides us with support and service. Christmas is a time for giving, showing gratitude, and spreading love. During our Christmas party, it was heartwarming…

I vividly remember attending my first bleeding disorder conference in 2008. It was overwhelming. The exhibits had products and services that my son would need, and the workshops and topics were new and very unfamiliar. The attendants seemed like they were at a family reunion! How did they…