I recently took a second freelance job to help move my family forward despite the challenges of the pandemic. I’ve only been at it for two weeks, but so far it’s been good. I’m praying for a good working relationship with my boss, and for my own personal growth in…
HemoWife — Allyx Formalejo
Allyx Formalejo, or Cza, is a writer, entrepreneur, and digital marketer based in Marikina, Philippines. She is married to Jared, who has severe hemophilia B and a seizure disorder. They have a young daughter and two other “babies” — a dog and a cat. Cza herself is diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar II disorder. This allows her to offer a unique perspective on navigating various aspects of young adult life (e.g. relationships, career, and parenting) with chronic health conditions. In her free time, she enjoys collecting fountain pens, supporting small businesses, traveling across the country, and exploring local cafes. She continues to blog like most 90s kids did in the Internet’s early years, sharing her thoughts and interesting discoveries on her personal website, czaofalltrades.com.
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I’ve written before about not seeing myself as a caregiver in the traditional sense. For us caregivers, hemophilia doesn’t usually demand round-the-clock care. My husband, Jared, manages his condition independently. He infuses. He monitors his body. He makes decisions about risk and rest. My role on most days is…
During the month of August, my husband, Jared, and I are happily celebrating our third year of marriage. Though the past few months have been rocky on account of the pandemic and some aspects of our family life that appear out of our control, we remain happy and grateful to…
When I was younger, I drew up several vision boards outlining my dream life. I simply listed my goals and the age by which I wanted to achieve them. I remember being 10 years old and writing in my diary with such strong conviction that I needed to own…
I’ve been diving deep into entrepreneurship lately. I’m striving to learn everything I can about business — and trying to understand its darkest secrets — in hopes of attaining a higher level of success. I consider this a crucial step toward achieving one of my biggest and most important life…
It was a celebratory day for the Philippines on July 26 when female powerlifter Hidilyn Diaz won gold at the Tokyo Olympics. It was her country’s first ever Olympic gold medal. I feel proud as a Filipino that our country has earned such a high honor. But for more…
I recently came across an NBC News Think essay about the oft-overlooked privilege of being able to focus on one’s studies while in college. It reminded me of how my parents supported me through my own college years, and how I failed to fully appreciate how fortunate I was…
I’ve been sick for most of this week with digestive issues. This is a chronic condition for me, but it always bothers me when it happens. I’m weak and unable to do much. I must gauge my energy levels and try to squeeze important tasks into the moments I…
One of the good things about being married to a person with disability (PwD) is that I can talk to my husband, Jared, objectively about disability and chronic illness. We often have conversations about it, and we aren’t afraid of self-criticism. In fact, we value it for the sake of…
Two weekends ago, my husband, Jared, had a lengthy bleeding episode. It happened after a fun Father’s Day trip to the zoo with our baby girl, Cittie, and our nanny. We had a wonderful time filled with several firsts since pandemic lockdowns eased, including our first time out of the…
A few years ago, I took one notebook from my stationery collection and wrote on its first page: “My Official Book of Mistakes.” In this notebook, I was supposed to write the mistakes I made in business so that I would work hard on not repeating them while moving forward.
My dear husband, I won’t do everything for you. I may take on some of your physical responsibilities when your body says “no for now,” but I’ll leave you to do all the thinking and strategizing you can do for our family. You may have hemophilia and a seizure disorder,…
In the past few weeks, I haven’t been feeling as productive as I normally do in terms of work. In fact, as I type this, I’m sitting in front of my brand-new work desk in a sports top and ripped jeans — not my usual outfit when I’m…
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