With Christmas only a few weeks away, Hemophilia Association of the Philippines for Love and Service (HAPLOS) threw its annual Christmas party. It’s a modest event, but seeing people gather, spread cheer, and enjoy one another’s company is heartwarming. The party is also a time to express gratitude to…
The holiday season brings happiness and joy to many. Homes are adorned with lights and decorations, and people wear clothing in festive colors. The excitement is contagious. However, many people find this time of year to be exhausting and even painful. When they are living with a rare or chronic…
The World Federation of Hemophilia states that any person, male or female, with factor levels below 40 percent has hemophilia. However, conventional medical wisdom has not caught up. Women who have abnormal bleeding should be assessed for hemophilia, particularly when they have a family history. Yet too…
My 10-month-old baby, Cittie, is becoming a daddy’s girl. She looks for her daddy when she wants to play. She clings to him when she wants to be carried. She gets uneasy whenever he leaves the room. Jared, my husband, can’t even stand up to go to the bathroom, lest…
We’re a family that has the good fortune of traveling often. It’s not always a grand journey — most trips are just a few miles from home. One constant during our travels is a set of tiny traveling notebooks — one in my purse and one in my husband’s pocket.
My wife is scheduled for surgery this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She will be in the hospital for one or two nights. We live about 3½ hours from the hospital, so we will be gone for about three days. We are optimistic that her recovery will go well…
The holiday season is in full swing, and with fewer shopping days, it will be upon us more quickly than usual. While we are concerned with presents, shopping, parties, and entertaining, it is easy to forget about taking care of ourselves. We can put off our self-care easily by blaming…
Since hemophilia was discovered, it has been accepted as a male disease. No one questions that a man is struggling with hemophilia. A man with a bleeding disorder living in a developed country is rarely denied access to healthcare. When he receives a diagnosis, he is told that…
A “6 Years Ago Today” moment popped up in my Facebook feed recently. The notification took me back to another Thanksgiving when my son, Caeleb, was 7, and we were in the hospital. He had port access issues, his factor levels were all over the place, and a knee bleed…
Living with hemophilia is challenging for anyone. It can be even more difficult for women who struggle to obtain a diagnosis and treatment. Despite the struggles, I am thankful for many things. A missed diagnosis I am thankful that the hospital lab made an…
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