The Forgotten Factor - a Column by G Shellye Horowitz

Years ago, I attended a bleeding disorders conference where a person with hemophilia shared about an encounter they had with a law enforcement officer during a routine traffic stop. In order to appreciate the exchange, it’s important to understand that those of us with hemophilia are missing a protein…

I am in a video game. My mission: Fight the medical bureaucracy and access care. I must complete three levels and capture the golden key, which unlocks a fortress where healthcare is obtained. I’m stuck on Level 2. No matter what I try, I can’t gather the tools to unlock…

I receive an email saying the test results from my second bone density scan are in. Shaking and holding my breath, I click on the link and sign into my patient chart. I am exhausted. As I continue to wait for insurance to approve a trial of my fourth factor…

I groggily sat up in the hospital bed, sipped some water, and stared into the distance. Suddenly, a nurse pointed at my gown and shouted, “You’re bleeding!” But I’d taken so many painkillers that I barely reacted. This was 2003, when I had laparoscopic surgery to treat endometriosis.

Laughable. That’s how Heidi Bentz and Lucrecia E. Choto, two women who struggled for years to receive a proper diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD), described the results of a 2004 survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of 75 women who…

While riding a bus at the first hemophilia conference I attended, I met a young man who had mild hemophilia, just like me. Unlike me, he’d been diagnosed close to birth. Then he shared his factor VIII levels; shockingly, they were higher than mine. I sat in disbelief. I’d…

Plan D. That’s what I’m working on now. Last week, I learned that a factor VIII (FVIII) product I’m taking for my hemophilia has had some disappointing results. I can’t say I’m surprised about that, as I had a negative reaction to the medication, including feeling lightheaded and…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with factor replacement therapy. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. It is 10:30 a.m. and I am having my blood drawn. I am doing a trough level test, which…

When I worked for the Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA), I was incredibly grateful for its dedication to bringing awareness to the needs of women with hemophilia, many of whom had a mild form of the disorder. As I observed our community events, I realized that a group was…

“We are more than symptomatic carriers, we have hemophilia, too!” a large group of women shouted when I attended the first National Conference for Women with Hemophilia in November 2018. As a woman with hemophilia, I know about the struggle for legitimacy in a male-dominated disease space. What I…