One of the stranger skills I’ve developed in my marriage to someone with hemophilia isn’t medical — it’s domestic. It’s the art of removing blood stains. To be fair, I already had some experience dealing with blood simply by being a female person who menstruates. But when you’re married…

Many hemophilia patients experience undiagnosed symptoms of depression and anxiety that can impact their ability to cope with the disease and to adhere to treatment, a U.S. survey says. These findings shed light on psychological factors that affect the course of the disease, but with dedicated management and follow-up, depression…

Living with any chronic illness comes with a financial burden. Hemophilia, in particular, is extremely rare and extremely expensive. What follows is a summary of the expenses, insurance, and savings that I’ve encountered in my journey with bleeding disorders. Expenses Most years, I’m sure to hit the $7,000+…

Dust off those backpacks, girls, it’s time for the school year to begin! When your daughter has hemophilia or another type of bleeding disorder, sending her to school can be overwhelming. But we’ve come a long way since my school days. Children today are fortunate to have access to…

Hemophilia is a lifelong condition, both for my husband, Jared, and me. He’s had hemophilia B since he was born, and until a cure is found, it’s here to stay. While I don’t have hemophilia, we both must live with it. I imagine hemophilia to be like a…

I was over the moon when my first son, Julian, was born in 1996. My baby was here, and life would never be the same. When Julian wouldn’t stop bleeding after his circumcision, the pediatrician was visibly shaken. Seeing a doctor with furrowed eyebrows is disconcerting. The next day,…

The Spanish Interministerial Commission on the Pricing of Medicines, known as CIPM, has issued a positive recommendation for national reimbursement of Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec) for eligible people with hemophilia B, according to CSL Behring, the company that markets the gene therapy. The recommendation means that patients in Spain should…

The Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) has been awarded a $250,000 research grant through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards Program to support the HFA’s PRIDE Project through training and education of bleeding disorder community stakeholders, including the hemophilia community. The Awards Program is an initiative of the Patient-Centered…

Last week in Tampa, Florida, I attended the CHES Foundation’s One Drop consortium, the largest national conference dedicated exclusively to people living with ultra-rare bleeding disorders. The program focuses on conditions that often lack the resources, research attention, and community networks that are available to those with more common…

We received some unexpected news this week from the University of New Mexico, where our youngest son, Caeleb, is a rising sophomore. Although we had thought he’d be able to move into a dormitory on campus this fall, it appears he’s still on a waiting list, and the chances…