It’s almost 11 in the morning. My husband Jared and I are lined up at the mall-based satellite branch of our national health insurance system. By now, the mall has been open just less than an hour, but there must be a hundred or so people already, impatiently awaiting their…
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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Sleep has always been a troublesome subject for me. Even as a child, it felt optional — something I could push aside in favor of thoughts, ideas, or whatever held my attention in the moment. In high school, that tendency only intensified. Sleep became negotiable, almost expendable, as if I…
Last week, just after our wedding, Jared got a shoulder bleed. Jared has severe hemophilia B, but he does not get bleeds often. When he does, it’s almost like a vacation from things, a sign that we need to take things more slowly. When the bleed clots,…
In a week’s time, I’ll be a 20-something married woman. I’ll be transitioning from my current “single” civil status to writing “married” on government forms. Just a few days ago, I had the sudden realization that I won’t be using my current name for much longer. Soon, I’ll be taking…
“Help, my partner has hemophilia! What now?” I’ve been dating a person with hemophilia for four years. In those years, we’ve had a lot of memorable experiences together, but as his carer, I have also faced struggles. I’ll be honest and say that being a HemoGirlfriend isn’t exactly a…
My partner Jared and I are confined to our bed. He got a small ankle bleed from tripping on an uneven sidewalk yesterday, whereas I woke up with a terrible case of nausea — just as I thought my morning sickness was starting to improve. Apparently, I have good days…
My mother passed away a month ago. I thought I’d be ready after six years of dealing with her condition. I was wrong. In 2012, doctors diagnosed her with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (a blood cancer). She went into remission, but four years later, the cancer returned, this time…
When I was younger, my parents would tell me to date a particular “ideal” man. This man need not be good looking, but he’d better be a good guy — no questionable values, capable of getting along with my family — the perfect guy in the eyes of every Filipino…
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