Last school year, my youngest son, Caeleb, had a difficult time as pain in his right knee and ankle resurfaced. Thank God he didn’t have any bleeding episodes, but he experienced the chronic symptoms of damage to his joints caused by past internal bleeds. His pain often proved too…

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…

Last Sunday, I preached about the idea of faith and how it informs our lives as we look toward the future. I drew from scripture to define my terms when speaking about the meaning of faith. According to the text, “Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the…

Diabetes and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increase the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) among men with hemophilia, a U.S. study found. Given that both hypertension and diabetes can lead to a brain bleed in hemophilia patients, these findings support early screening for these conditions in this…

Hemophilia B and experimental gene therapy have been in the news lately. I was even surprised to hear a story on the topic while listening to my local NPR station. Hemophilia B is the less common form of the disorder that arises when a…

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma — the most common type of liver cancer — in men with hemophilia, despite the wide availability of medications to fight the virus, a U.S. database analysis has found. Other independent risk factors for the cancer…

Passion motivates us and puts a fire in our belly to strive for something outside ourselves. Without a sense of purpose, we become less motivated to rise above our current situation and struggle to find a key ingredient to a happy life. As we strive to find our way,…

A telerehabilitation program, wherein physical therapy exercises were delivered to patients by a professional via video calls, was deemed safe and effective at improving the physical condition of people with severe hemophilia, according to a small study in Chile. Patients reported a high degree of satisfaction with the intervention,…

My daughter, Cittie, is now 3 and a half years old. She’s grown so much over the past years, from a tiny and helpless little baby to a more independent preschooler with a mind of her own. She’s gotten good at expressing what she likes and dislikes. She’s also…

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+…