Columns

A Mother’s Hope Through Hemophilia

There’s one thing I want more than anything: When my sons are grown with their own families, I want them to come home for Thanksgiving (without my having to beg). I dream of sitting around the table with my sons, their significant others, and hopefully their children. I want…

These Are the Kind of Friends We Need

Meaningful connections with other people are of incredible value to people with chronic illnesses. My husband, Jared, and I can both attest to this, as he lives with severe hemophilia B and a seizure disorder, while I am newly diagnosed with both bipolar II disorder and the inattentive…

A National Symposium Offers Us the Chance to Reconnect

Next month, April 21–23, the MacDonald family heads to San Antonio to attend the Hemophilia Federation of America’s 2022 Symposium. I cannot wait to see old friends and participate in educational sessions regarding upcoming treatments and services to the bleeding disorders community. My wife, Cazandra, and I haven’t…

Looking Forward to a ‘Family’ Reunion

I’m a homebody. I work from home most days, and when I’m relaxing, I’m quilting, sewing, or weaving. The gratitude I have for my home and my activities there is overwhelming in the best of ways. While the pandemic has caused many to feel trapped, unable to move about the…

Women’s Day Reminded Me of the Importance of Equality

Tuesday morning, March 8. Bright rays of sun had already passed through our floor-length bedroom windows, but my sleep-deprived brain was fighting to keep my eyes shut for a few more minutes. The day before I had worked myself into a mental breakdown, which had zapped my energy completely. “Wake…

A New Medical Issue Brings Back Painful Memories

Last week, I took Caeleb, my youngest son, to the University of New Mexico Health’s urgent care center, which is on the same floor as the Ted R. Montoya Hemophilia Program and Treatment Center. He’d been experiencing stomach and head pain for five days. I figured he had a…

Complacency Is Out, and Hemophilia Is In

There was a time when I couldn’t make plans because hemophilia was the center of my life. Vacations were dreams, family outings were few and far between, and the mundane happenings of everyday life were nonexistent. There was no sense of complacency. Every waking moment was consumed with the…