The story of Britnie
When I heard my sons diagnoses with Severe Hemophilia A for the first time my world turned upside down, backwards, and twisted. I was young, and very afraid. Mostly because I really didn’t understand what hemophilia was, the first time I heard the word Hemophilia I thought it was Cancer. I was scared, shocked, and overwhelmed with the feeling of being alone. I remember the first time my son got a really bad bleed and we had to take him to the hospital for a FactorVII infusion. It was very hard, they had several nurses hold him down while I listened to my infant scream as they poked over and over again trying to find a vein, I remember thinking I was in my very own hell and I would always be alone. But the truth is WE ARE NOT ALONE! Over the years as a family we have developed friendships and bonds with people in our Hemophilia community that have provided strength, encouragement, and peace. Family relationships have blossomed and seasoned in a way they couldn’t have otherwise. Its been almost nine years since I first heard the word Hemophilia. Hemophilia has challenged, motivated, pushed and pulled. It has made me the person that I am today. It has strengthened my Sons character and given him power to overcome obstacles. Hemophilia has shown me the importance of counting ones blessing and taking advantage of the resources around you. Learning all you can about a challenge that you are facing, is one of life’s greatest weapons against fear and discouragement. When we take responsibility and action towards a challenge that has been presented to us, we give ourselves the ability to grow and learn in an atmosphere of pure engagement. We are meant to live our lives to the fullest. That doesn’t mean that we have to go sky diving or wind surfing every day. It just means we wake up every morning with a purpose and a desire to become just a little bit better than we were yesterday. When we do this (as my favorite role model) the Dali Lama says “we live our lives to the fullest, we truly live a life worth living”.