The MacDonald home celebrates this Christmas season with a little more excitement than those holidays of the not-so-distant past. My youngest son’s health is the best it’s ever been, and we are in an excellent place. We have nothing to complain about. Life is good and the business…

I recently attended a national conference for women with hemophilia. Common themes emerged as I listened to women’s stories of life with bleeding disorders. The number of women dismissed by top medical professionals working for hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) was alarming. I wondered why this is happening. Dominant…

I have vivid memories of visiting Grandma Jala. She lived in the little wooden house where she raised my dad and his three brothers after Grandpa died at a young age. The tiny house, worn by time, stories, joy, and sorrow, had a huge, adventure-filled yard. It had the flicker…

My house is in a state of chaos. Julian, my oldest son, leaves for a summer job in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina on May 1, while Caeleb, my youngest son, graduates high school on May 18. My wife, Cazandra, and I feel the unspoken tension that both…

Dosing has begun in a second group of hemophilia B patients enrolled in a Phase 1/2 dose-confirmation trial of the experimental gene therapy FLT180a, the treatment’s developer, Freeline, announced. The dose determined to be optimal in this study is expected to finalize plans for a pivotal Phase 3…

Catalyst Biosciences has announced new clinical data supporting the safety and efficacy of its lead candidate therapies for treating hemophilia. Factor IX (FIX) dalcinonacog alfa (DalcA) was found to safely prevent bleedings in adults with hemophilia B, while factor VIIa (FVIIa) marzeptacog alfa (activated) (MarzAA) was…

In the age of “cancel culture,” where snap judgments and public shaming abound, the journey from stigma to compassion is often fraught with challenges. I live with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bipolar II disorder, am a wife to a person with hemophilia, and formerly co-owned a business run…

Today, I became my husband’s dependent — officially. A few months ago, I wrote about being ineligible for health insurance because I was already five months pregnant when I applied for it. My only option was to register as my husband’s dependent. That meant he would have to share…

Spontaneous and joint bleeds, and limits on physical activity are evident in people with severe hemophilia A even when they adhere to and remain on preventive treatment, an analysis of global, real-world data showed. These findings highlight the need for additional alternative therapies for patients with severe disease. The study,…

Last week I attended the New Mexico Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. As a pastor, I must attend the conference every year. One positive aspect of the meeting is a focus on clergy health. A medical assistant measured me, took my blood pressure, weighed me, and took a…