I enjoy family vacations. While we don’t necessarily take yearly trips, we cherish our adventures. My husband and I want to take a trip to Washington D.C. with our son, Caeleb, 16, who is a history buff. We have put the trip on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic,…

My husband, Jared, recently celebrated his birthday. Hooray for 29 years of fighting and surviving! He opted for a low-key celebration at home with me, our daughter, Cittie, and her nanny. Because it was a weekday and I had to work, we didn’t have much time to do anything particularly…

Next week, my youngest son will celebrate his 16th birthday. It’s hard to believe that so much has occurred in his young life. He has experienced the heartache of living with a bleeding disorder, and has often been paralyzed by his fear of needles. He has undergone 16…

Teaching teens to take control of their bleeding disorders must begin early. I believe in empowering my sons with the information they need to go out into the world. When they were toddlers, I talked about the different items they’d need when we did infusions, and they began to…

After three months of living in a rented condo, my family is moving to a full-size house. My husband, Jared, and I want to think of this event as our Christmas and New Year’s blessing. Though the change was unexpected, we welcomed it with open arms. The only hassle,…

I will never forget the day my wife told me that she was pregnant with our first child. I stood there, unable to process her announcement of our boy’s impending entry into the world. I couldn’t fathom how my life would change. I struggled to figure out how I might…

I still need to select my one-word resolution for 2022. I usually have an idea by the end of November, but 2021 was busy and fruitful, and thinking about a word was not on my radar. I relished every moment of the year because I genuinely found peace. Instead…

I start every year by promising to make meaningful changes in my life. I hope to lose weight, exercise more, live a healthier life, and be a better parent to my children during their bleeding episodes. These New Year’s resolutions sound great, and when I am in my “safety…

So I get into the shower, and as I wash my hair, a memory comes flooding back to me. In a moment, I am standing face to face with it. My oldest son was 6 and struggling with a prophylactic infusion of recombinant factor VIII. The needle terrified him…

Helping others is nice. On the most basic level, helping another person can trigger positive emotions. It also creates a sense of belonging and enables one to connect with their community. And from a big-picture perspective, it gives one a sense of purpose, as they are contributing something good…