Jason Fulton was accepted to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, to pursue a graduate degree in pharmacology and help hemophilia patients like himself. But the 22-year-old knew then he likely would not achieve his dream. At 17, he learned the blood he was receiving to treat…

When my husband, Jared, and I first started our online jewelry store, we knew our business was not going to be like other enterprises in the market. He lives with hemophilia and epilepsy, while I am diagnosed with anxiety and depression. We feared that bleeds, seizures, and mental breakdowns would…

As an introvert, coronavirus isolation is not problematic for me. I have plenty of projects to keep me busy. My graduate schoolwork is online, and the normalcy of school has been nice during these uncertain times. I hear about people who have a hard time in isolation, and honestly, I don’t…

As my family started contemplating the people and routines we’ll leave behind in our upcoming job change and move, my thoughts turned to one routine in particular: For over 12 years, I’ve visited my therapist regularly. Her support was a beacon of hope in some of the darkest times;…

Are caregiving and parenting the same? Caregiving is the activity or profession of taking care of one who is sick or disabled. A parent is one who brings up and cares for another. As the mother of two sons with hemophilia, I believe that caregiving and parenting are not…

Every family speaks their own language. Mine certainly does. It is like a secret code that is unbreakable outside of our house, used to inform family members how we feel about an issue or event. It is done so subtly that no one else is aware of the information…

This year’s annual Bleeding Disorders Conference began a week ago in Atlanta and ended on Saturday. While it wasn’t my first such event, it brought several new opportunities. For one thing, as my wife, Cazandra, and I packed for the event, I felt mixed emotions. At recent conferences,…

Sometimes being different is a good thing. You display your unique characteristics and qualities to the world through your clothing, hair, and makeup. Your actions reveal your views on social justice, and you voice your political views because your beliefs are a key part of who you are. Sometimes, others…

When my youngest son, Caeleb, now 17, was 11 months old, he had a bleeding episode that shook us to our core. We’d recently moved to New Mexico from Houston and didn’t yet know our new medical team. Because my wife, Cazandra, had promised to play oboe at…

I recently accompanied my youngest son to his comprehensive checkup at the Ted R. Montoya Hemophilia Program and Treatment Center. Located in Albuquerque and affiliated with the University of New Mexico hospital system, the center serves as our main treatment facility for hemophilia. “MacDonald the Younger” started seeing the…