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Pain can alter people’s behavior, causing them to act out in unusual ways. People experiencing a severe degree of pain may hurt others emotionally or physically, often without meaning to. They might say demeaning things to their caregivers while in the throes of pain, even if they’re normally calm,…

I recently bumped into a former colleague at the grocery store. We hadn’t seen each other in several years and enjoyed catching up. (Yes, I was the annoying shopper blocking the aisle.) We had worked together in the healthcare industry, the last place I ever expected to be employed. Working…

I like to believe that my husband, Jared, and I have a fulfilling marriage and family life, even with chronic illness. Each day, we make intentional choices that align with what we value most: living a full and happy life. Jared has two chronic illnesses, hemophilia B and…

I was pleasantly surprised to see a character with hemophilia depicted in a recent episode of “Call the Midwife,” a television series I adore. Usually, I’m disappointed with how hemophilia or von Willebrand disease is presented on TV, as it’s often inaccurate. This time, however, I felt the…

I’ll never forget a particular moment in the fall of 1995. I met my wife, Cazandra, at one of our favorite restaurants right after work for an early dinner. As a waitress led us to our table, Caz appeared to be carrying a secret that, if not released,…

My happy place is in front of an audience. It’s where I feel most comfortable. As I’m a self-proclaimed introvert, that may sound odd. Yet I’ve had numerous opportunities to answer my call to speak. It’s not about accolades and praise; it’s about the message. Regardless of the size of…

First meetings are always awkward, aren’t they? Well, I have the perfect icebreaker: Did you know that my husband, Jared, has hemophilia? Most people I meet are taken aback by this. Those with a thirst for knowledge are often intrigued. How often does one meet a person with hemophilia,…

One night when my oldest son, Julian, was 6, we sat down at the kitchen table, preparing to infuse factor VIII, a clotting agent, to treat his hemophilia. He held out his arm, and I looked at the vein we called “Old Faithful.” Located on the top of…

In the Bible, there’s a story of a blind man on the side of the road begging for Jesus’ help. Jesus spat on the ground, made mud, and put it on the man’s eyes. He then instructed the man to go to the water and wash the mud…

I’ve been struggling with my mental health lately. For the past two years, I’ve been juggling two or three freelance jobs at a time while also fulfilling my roles as a mom, wife, and carer to my husband, Jared, who has severe hemophilia B and a seizure…