Columns

Rap sessions are common at bleeding disorder conferences. During these group discussions, people come together to talk about similar interests, such as a new diagnosis in the family, inhibitors, or what it’s like being a hemo parent. Facilitators help the participants ask questions of one another and have meaningful…

After an entire year of getting little exercise, I’ve finally decided to work out again. I’d gone several months without much physical activity, so I’m starting with jump rope fitness for body conditioning. So far, everything’s good. I’ve had to rearrange my schedule quite a bit and take more time…

Many years ago, friends told me about a workshop they attended, which addressed newly diagnosed patients with bleeding disorders. As they talked about the class, I agreed with everything I heard until one of the facilitators said that with a new diagnosis comes a sense of mourning. “Yes,” I…

My youngest son, Caeleb, recently turned 15. A celebration with his favorite dinner accompanied by homemade chocolate-peanut butter cheesecake ushered in another year filled with goals and dreams. After Caeleb blew out the candles, he looked up and said, “In three years I’ll be out of the…

“Motherhood is messy. And challenging. And crazy. And sleepless. And giving. And still unbelievably beautiful.” — Rachel Martin For me, motherhood is all of these things that blogger and author Rachel Martin suggests it is. Quite often it is tiring. Every day, I have a lengthy to-do list to…

I often get caught up thinking about things I did not do for my sons, who have hemophilia. I worry about the many deficiencies I have, and how they affect my sons’ lives. Dealing with a bleeding disorder is more than enough to worry about, but do they feel…

It was Christmas in 1978. My brother was thrilled that Santa had brought him exactly what he wanted — a large, bright red firetruck with a ladder that really worked! (Never mind that we were Jewish. Santa always seemed to make an appearance at our home anyway, and we never…

In our work as professional online sellers, my husband, Jared, and I occasionally encounter difficult clients. Sometimes they send several messages to our social media channels outside of our office hours. Or they’ll threaten to leave a negative rating because of an odd hiccup in our services. And don’t…

I started writing for Bionews, the publisher of Hemophilia News Today, almost three years ago. However, it recently dawned on me that I never mentioned why I named my column “In the Twinkling of an Eye.” While amazingly simple on the surface, the answer has deep layers that may…

What does an illness look like? Sometimes a bald head, pale skin, or a mobility device are outward signs that someone has an illness. People would never know my sons have hemophilia by looking at them today. My oldest son, Julian, is 24. He lives on his own,…