Recently, news about a deal on airfare started making the rounds in our group chats. Here in the Philippines, these sales tend to appear when people start thinking about summer travel. Cheap fares, beautiful destinations, and the thrill of booking something spontaneous can be hard to resist. Some of my…

Living with hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease means getting used to things that most people would consider unusual. Bruises appear without explanation. Minor injuries take longer to heal. A routine dental visit requires more planning than most people would ever imagine. And sometimes, the body sends…

When my husband, Jared, has a hemophilia bleed, we know what to do. We immediately implement the RICE method of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. We also add to that list factor infusions and the monitoring of Jared’s condition. Hemophilia is complex, but there’s a strategy for managing it.

When I was 3 years old, I joined a television pageant for little girls called “Princess Asia.” I won the top prize. But when I look back on that moment now, the crown itself feels almost incidental. What stands out more is that I caught amebiasis, an intestinal infection, just…

I’ve lived in New Mexico for 20 years, but I only recently visited the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. The chapel is known for its spiral staircase, built in 1878 with wooden pegs only, no nails. The staircase rises 22 feet to the choir loft without any central support.

Hemophilia doesn’t just alter bodies and routines. Over time, it can also quietly shape expectations about who leads, who manages risk, and who carries responsibility. These expectations are rarely spoken out loud, but they’re powerful enough to follow people into adulthood, partnerships, and marriage. What complicates things is that…

For a long time, I didn’t think about exhaustion or how it would occasionally surface in my marriage to someone with hemophilia. As someone with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I tend to function well in high-pressure situations. Urgency sharpens me. When there’s a problem to solve or a…

For decades, people with hemophilia have benefited from remarkable advances in treatment. Meanwhile, many people living with von Willebrand disease (VWD) have continued relying on therapies developed more than 20 years ago. Too often, VWD itself has been misunderstood or minimized. Even getting diagnosed can be complicated.

First in a series. When our sons were babies, my wife and I depended on our home-care company to infuse them with a clotting agent to combat the internal bleeding caused by their hemophilia. Infusions require a steady hand to hold the needle, insert it into a…

I’ve written before about not seeing myself as a caregiver in the traditional sense. For us caregivers, hemophilia doesn’t usually demand round-the-clock care. My husband, Jared, manages his condition independently. He infuses. He monitors his body. He makes decisions about risk and rest. My role on most days is…