Helping people brings me joy. As a hospice chaplain assisting families through their darkest hours, I am truly fulfilled. Outside of my work, my heart is full when I can make dinner, pick up groceries, or visit a friend. But asking for help is an entirely different thing. During my…

Hemlibra (emicizumab-KXWH) safely reduces bleeding episodes in people with hemophilia A without inhibitors, resulting in a high rate of patient satisfaction, according to a review of published studies. “The success of [Hemlibra] underscores the potential for innovative therapeutic approaches to significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life…

My family recently moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Boxes, packing paper, and tape have been a constant over the past few months. I’m grateful that my husband and sons are experienced movers. We all have a system, a rhythm to packing that we don’t even discuss. I pack…

Years ago, I attended a bleeding disorders conference where a person with hemophilia shared about an encounter they had with a law enforcement officer during a routine traffic stop. In order to appreciate the exchange, it’s important to understand that those of us with hemophilia are missing a protein…

Directly switching from Hemlibra (emicizumab) to Novo Nordisk‘s investigational Mim8 (denecimig) was well tolerated in adults and adolescents with hemophilia A, regardless of whether they had inhibitors or not. That’s according to results from the now-completed Phase 3b FRONTIER5 study (NCT05878938), which assessed the safety of switching…

I receive an email saying the test results from my second bone density scan are in. Shaking and holding my breath, I click on the link and sign into my patient chart. I am exhausted. As I continue to wait for insurance to approve a trial of my fourth factor…

Successful immune tolerance induction (ITI) — a type of treatment that aims to re-educate the immune system to prevent the formation of inhibitors, or neutralizing antibodies targeting clotting factors — was associated with lower treatment costs in hemophilia A patients with inhibitors, a study in Brazil reported. Conversely, treatment…

Many of my recent columns have focused on my youngest son, Caeleb, and his transition into adulthood. I’ve shared how we’ve empowered him to live his best life, including lessons on taking responsibility for himself as he navigates the world. He must take the baton that we’ve handed him. We…

A therapy designed to promote the growth of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) in the body prevented inhibitor development in a mouse model of hemophilia A that was treated with factor replacement therapy, a study showed. Inhibitors, a type of neutralizing antibody some patients develop that can make replacement therapies…

Last week I traveled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to spend a few days with my wife, Cazandra. She works as a hospice chaplain there and usually travels back to Belen, our current home, on weekends. We’ll end this busy commute schedule next month, when we both move full…