For most of my 56 years, I’ve felt isolated from the hemophilia community. Before the internet — yes, youngsters, there was such a time — I had very little education about my bleeding disorders and no idea what to expect. I felt no sense of community. Hemophilia didn’t run in…

Four people in a region of Northern Italy were diagnosed with acquired hemophilia A (AHA) weeks after receiving the second dose of a vaccine against COVID-19, scientists reported. The unusually high number of newly identified acquired hemophilia A cases within eight months in the Italian province led the investigators to suspect…

Since my diagnosis at age 10, I’ve always received treatment at federally funded hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) — except for a brief period when my insurance didn’t cover my hematologist. Most hematologists don’t specialize in bleeding disorders, which can be complex to diagnose and treat. Without the expert care provided…

For most people, taekwondo is about discipline, confidence, and the long path toward a black belt. For Tara Blakely, it became something else entirely — a story of interruptions, detours, motherhood, misdiagnosed bleeding, and the quiet strength required to begin again when life keeps pulling you away. Tara began her…

My husband, Jared, is a diligent worker and constant high achiever. An honor student in school, he has since excelled in various fields. From running a business to trying his hand at voice acting and cooking, he’s a jack of all trades in the most complete form of the…

Spending on treatments for hemophilia by Medicaid, a U.S. government health insurance program for select groups, more than tripled from 2005 to 2019, an analysis reported. Its researchers expect this finding will help state agencies with decisions regarding treatment coverage based on their Medicaid budget, given that the program…

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes! We can’t seem to find a way to sift through the endless sea of those irritating but necessary cardboard contraptions containing pieces of our lives. We know that we cannot stop piecing together our lives in another place. Moving forward appears to be the best…

Welcome to 2022, a new year and a clean slate. Year after year, my New Year’s resolutions are the same: eat a more healthy diet, work out, and lose weight. This year will be different. Recently, a nurse phoned from the specialty pharmacy that provides medication to treat my von…

When I traveled with HAPLOS, the Hemophilia Philippines Foundation, about six years ago to visit families with bleeding disorders in rural provinces, I expected hardship. What I didn’t expect was how drastically the same diagnosis could play out depending on where and how you lived. My husband, Jared,…

In February, I wrote about hemophilia’s effects on bone health after attending a webinar sponsored by Factor My Way, a patient support program. It featured bleeding disorders expert Claudio Sandoval, MD, who explained that everyone with hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) is at an increased risk of…