It finally happened. COVID-19 found me. After two and a half years of following the guidelines, I couldn’t outwit the virus. I had two vaccines and a booster on time, and I declined invitations. I wore a mask in Publix and Walgreens even when nobody else was doing it.
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As summer begins, the MacDonald family continues a great tradition of visiting a local museum every Friday. We started at least 12 years ago when my oldest son, Julian, graduated middle school. Caeleb, my youngest boy, continues our special ritual and looks forward to exploring the many things that…
My husband and I are both United Methodist clergy, so our children are called PKs (pastors’ kids). Some PKs earn reputations for misbehaving, giving their parents plenty of gray hairs. Other PKs are kind and considerate, attend youth groups and Bible studies, and are seen as model children. My sons…
My husband, Jared, and I work to earn a living. We freelance for various clients and run a business — though due to the state of the economy here in the Philippines, business isn’t as profitable as it used to be. In between jobs, we dedicate a significant chunk of…
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…
A simple tonsillectomy led to my eventual diagnosis of hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease. Without a family history, a bleeding disorder wasn’t on my family’s or pediatrician’s radar. I had to almost bleed to death for a bleeding disorder to be suspected. Terror of the tonsils The…
The gene therapy BBM-H901 increased factor IX activity in 10 men with moderate to severe hemophilia B, while reducing bleeds and the use of FIX replacement therapy over one year, according to results of a pilot Phase 1 trial. “The study was the first clinical trial conducted by Belief BioMed…
Many times when my sons were younger, I found myself overwhelmed by the constant demands of their bleeding disorder and felt that I had nothing else to give. The needle on my gas gauge was below empty. I felt as if I’d used every ounce of energy and couldn’t…
Spring is in the air. With flowers blooming and birds chirping, this time of year is filled with new life and new beginnings. It’s also graduation season, a time that brings hope. Families share loved ones’ accomplishments and celebrate the end of one season and the beginning of the next.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted — under priority review — a marketing application for EtranaDez (etranacogene dezaparvovec), an investigational gene therapy for adults with hemophilia B. The FDA grants priority review to investigational therapies designed to treat serious medical conditions. If approved, the treatment…