My husband, Jared, and I recently talked about getting a dog. I’m excited and can’t wait. We spent an entire night flipping through pictures of various dog breeds. We finally managed to narrow down our selection to four possible types. At the top of the list is the Cavalier…
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 noticed something strange over the years: Adults with hemophilia sometimes disappear from conversations that were built for them. I first noticed it in support groups. The louder caregivers became, the quieter some people with hemophilia seemed to get. Some stopped participating altogether. Others drifted toward spaces led by…
My husband is down with a bleed for the second time since the COVID-19 quarantine began. It hasn’t even been a week since he recovered from his latest abdominal bleed. We were only starting to settle back into our usual routine. I was happy to…
My husband, Jared, has a new resolution: to start keeping a bleeding journal. In his journal, Jared plans to write about recent bleeding episodes. Each entry will describe the sensation of a particular bleed, the affected area of the body, and steps he took to nurse the injury back to…
“I wish your ab would be better now,” I tell my husband Jared in a pleading voice. Jared is recovering from a bleed in the abdominal region that has taken a toll on his mobility for the past week. He’s already gone through a couple of factor infusions but still…
As an old saying goes, it’s good to look on the bright side of life. It’s a call for us to remain optimistic in light of difficulties. There’s nothing wrong with having an optimistic view of things. In fact, it is important to see the “silver lining” in a bad…
For the past three days, the capital of the Philippines has been on total lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. The country is now in a state of calamity as the number of cases continues to rise. Members of our government believe they are forced to take drastic…
Like other countries, the Philippines is in a state of panic due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Schools have canceled classes well into mid-April. The possibility of lockdowns in various cities and municipalities is quickly becoming a reality. In the metropolitan Manila area where I live, authorities are about to prohibit…
Growing up is exciting. Most young adults spend their late teens and early 20s meeting new people and making new friends. As we grow older, we get jobs, move away from home, and date. Some choose to get married and have kids. Inevitably, we also outgrow some old friendships.
Recently, I’ve taken to the ukulele. I love its diminutive size, how its four strings (versus six on a guitar) are perfect for my tiny hands, and the happy sound it produces. (Our neighborhood ukulele store is aptly named Happy Music.) In the past month, I’ve purchased a couple of…
With Valentine’s Day over, it’s amazing to look back at the “Love Month” celebrations my husband, Jared, and I have had since we first started dating. In our six years together, we’ve had our share of Valentine’s Day celebrations. Some stood out more than others. One example is the time…
Memories flooded my mind as I was going about my usual work today. I suddenly thought about my life before I met my husband, Jared, before my pregnancy, and before our daughter, Cittie, was born. I thought about my depression. And then I thought about our future as…
Two members of our local hemophilia community passed away in recent weeks. My husband, Jared, knew one of them, who succumbed to an iliopsoas bleed. The other was an older member of the hemophilia organization my husband works with. He had a stroke that led to bleeding in…
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