Columns

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…

Years ago, a home health nurse came to my house to infuse my medication for von Willebrand disease and hemophilia B. Treatment for my bleeding disorders is often administered intravenously, meaning it’s injected directly into a vein. I’d had surgery a few days before and needed the…

Spoiler alert: This story ends with a Golden Girl moment with my son. Picture it: Las Vegas, 2015. My youngest son, Caeleb, is 9 years old. He and I tagged along with my wife, Cazandra, for a special event for the bleeding disorders community. My boy, who…

“I know, I know” is repeated in my home numerous times daily. When I hear these words from my 17-year-old son, Caeleb, I want to run away screaming. No, you don’t know! The teenage years are not my favorite. Was I this way when I was a teenager? Unfortunately,…

Marriage is a beautiful thing. People often describe it in flowery terms — “an unbreakable promise of partnership,” “a sacred unity of two souls.” Those who possess a more worldly mindset might regard it as a legal arrangement — albeit a powerful and binding one that changes every aspect…

My bleeding disorders, hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease, have significantly affected my family. As I’ve aged, my appreciation for my family has grown tremendously. I’ve come to realize that hemophilia‘s impact isn’t just limited to me; it’s also affected my family in profound ways. True, patients…