It’s hard to believe, but my youngest son, Caeleb, will graduate high school in just a few months. I think back over the past 18 years of his life and stand in awe regarding the difficulties he’s faced while living with hemophilia. In his elementary school years, he struggled…

Differences in sensory detection and pain thresholds were found in hemophilia patients taking prophylactics, compared to healthy individuals, and these differences did not change over the course of a one-year follow-up study. These findings indicate that “under prophylactic treatment, the existing difference in the pain profile between [people with…

A phone call in the wee hours of the morning makes the heart skip a beat, as it often brings bad news. A baby crying in the middle of the night means a sleep-deprived parent going through the motions of changing diapers and warming bottles. When the quiet hours of…

I often tell people to check my refrigerator if they want to track the development of hemophilia care in my family. For example, when my sons were small, the medicine they required, factor VIII, took up a full refrigerator, requiring us to buy a second one. As for other…

On Friday, Jan. 18, my husband, Jared, and I finally had our baby girl. We named her Melanie Citrine. (Courtesy of Alliah Czarielle) Labor was perhaps the most physically challenging thing I’ve ever done. On my birth plan, I stated that I wanted a…

The Philippines was in an extra festive mood over the Christmas season. Alongside the holiday parties, we were celebrating our country’s Miss Universe contender, Catriona Gray, who took home the crown. As a country, we tend to place high importance on events like this. To us, the Miss…

Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) is a genetic blood disorder where the person affected is deficient in a protein that helps blood clot — the Von Willebrand factor.  According to the Hemophilia Federation of America, the disease is genetic and often takes a while to be diagnosed as the…

Life had been running smoothly for a while. No major bleeds, no medical scares — just the comforting rhythm of our daily routine. But as life with hemophilia goes, that peace was bound to be interrupted at some point. It came this time in the form of a…

Last night, I dreamed that I attended a doctor appointment for my wife, Cazandra. It was a follow-up to discuss lab results requested at the initial meeting. The doctor entered the room and shared treatment strategies. She told Cazandra that she wanted to try a new medication to help…

The adventure of life is filled with ups and downs. Focusing on a word instead of on New Year’s resolutions can be a powerful practice when navigating a bleeding disorder. A focus word serves as a daily reminder and source of motivation, providing a lens through which to…