Infusing Love: A New Day Has Come

I never thought this day would come…. When Myles was first diagnosed with hemophilia A, I knew we had a long road ahead of us. Doctor appointments and worrying about safety both inside and outside of school, could always be scary. However, the scariest was the responsibility of making sure Myles always had the correct […]

Infusing Love: Stand Up to Bullying

  Bullying has no shame. It shows no prejudice. Bullying affects anyone of any size, age, and ethnicity.  It affects all of us. When I watch grown people intentionally hurt each other with words and actions, it always surprises me. One day I asked a young lady why she was making fun of her coworker. […]

Infusing Love: Keys to the Kingdom

Over the last several years, I have been focused on the idea of transition and independence as Thomas speeds through his adolescence. While he will always be my little boy, I simply have to face the facts that this six-foot, 16-year-old will be making decisions for himself and his healthcare in short order. There have […]

Infusing Love: Stand Up to Bullying

  October is National Bullying Prevention Month. For older moms, we think of bullying happening at school and after school in the neighborhood. But the unfortunate reality is that there is now the addition of bullying at home through social media and texts.  Historically, many have referred to bullying as a “childhood rite of passage.” […]

Infusing Love: Pride and Perseverance

  My mother was called a “bleeder” when I was growing up. I remember she almost died from a hemorrhage after surgery and her nose constantly needed to be packed at the emergency room due to nose bleeds. I never bled like her and never considered I might have something too. I went 36 years […]

Infusing Love: La comunicación con nuestros hijos e hijas

  Tener una buena comunicación con nuestros hijos e hijas no siempre es fácil.  Para esto es imprescindible saber estilos adecuados de comunicación para conocer a nuestros retoños más, para saber lo que piensan, para entenderlos más y para saber cómo se sienten.  De hecho, la comunicación entre padres e hijos es esencial para fomentar […]

Infusing Love: Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

Ver abajo para español I’m pretty sure everyone in Puerto Rico remembers where they were when they heard of the planes crashing on the twin towers in New York. I was at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, studying for my second bachelor’s degree in music. I was sitting in the hallway trying to […]

Infusing Love: Literally Driving Me Crazy!

One night I was cooking tacos for dinner. I was browning the beef and preparing to add the seasoning for the 10-minute simmer. I went to get the taco season package and the soft taco wraps out the pantry, when I realized I didn’t buy the soft taco wraps! There is nothing worse than realizing […]

Infusing Love: New Challenges

  Back in February Maddox’s provider suggested we try a new medicine. This medicine would allow him to be poked subcutaneously once a week, and with no need of factor replacement unless there is an emergency. After about six months on the new medication, we went in for Maddox’s yearly appointment, and removing his port […]

Infusing Love: Coming to Terms

  Omar was born in New Jersey, weighing close to 10 pounds. His second day at the hospital, I received the news of his hemophilia diagnosis. Initially, I felt isolated and alone and I did not know where to begin my search for information, assistance, understanding, and support. Despite that I had some knowledge because […]

Infusing Love: Broken, But Not Beaten

    Winter weather has always raised my hemophilia mom radar. Icy sidewalks make me very nervous and I’ve yelled out, “Ice ahead,” many times over the last 15 years in warning to Thomas. But as we all know, we can’t be with our kids all day, every day and accidents are bound to happen. […]

Infusing Love: Tattoos

  Our son, Michael, recently surprised us with the news that he was going to get a tattoo! I know, I know, he is 26 years old and can make his own decisions. But he still has severe hemophilia B with inhibitors. I got that knot in my stomach that all moms get — it’s a […]

Infusing Love: Singing the Praises of Fathers

I have to admit this blog gave me extreme anxiety about writing. Not in the respect that my father (Thomas Gibson), my husband (Alan) nor my father-in-law (James Hooper) are horrible fathers. It’s just very difficult to express my absolute gratitude to these individuals. These three fathers and grandfathers play such an important and vital role both […]

Infusing Love: ¡Me logré encontrar a mí misma!

  This blog is translated in English below. Este pasado día de las madres celebré mi año número 23 de ser madre. ¡No sé ni como esto pasó tan rápido! En una pestañar de ojos mis hijas han crecido y se han independizado, pero soy una mamá muy feliz. Criar a hijas involucra mucho tiempo […]

Infusing Love: An Undeniable Connection

If you’ve ever attended HFA’s Symposium, you probably know that the mom’s rap session is usually one of the most popular sessions and quite often has the most profound conversations. If you haven’t been – a mom’s rap session is just that – a chance for moms to sit around the room and talk about […]

Infusing Love: The Ideal Mother’s Day

  Most that know me will tell you I do everything for my kiddos. That I spoil them. That I’m always driving them to after school activities or going to the park, for walks, bike rides, etc. I rarely say no and let them try whatever sports and activities they want to do. I spend […]

Infusing Love: Step Aside, Mom Advocate Coming Through

  This past month we had the fight of our lives. My employee insurance runs February through January and my employer offered a new insurance plan this year. Much to our dismay, the insurance would not cover my son’s factor medication. Our insurance wanted our son to fail on three out of four factor products […]

Infusing Love: Letting Him Do It His Way

  For some of us hemophilia Moms we went through the time where we had to hold down our son to give him his factor or buy out the dollar store for him to be rewarded for his cooperation! Finally, we get to the point when holding down or rewards are no longer part of […]

Infusing Love: Seasons of Change

  Life is full seasons, parenting is full of seasons, and most importantly raising a child with a bleeding disorder is full of seasons. Most often when I look back over the seasons the most obvious of seasons are that of survival, like getting from one day to the next or one walking through a […]

Infusing Love: Decisions and Apprehensions

  I came back from HFA’s 2018 Symposium pumped. “Together We Rock” was an experience that left me much better equipped to face the many challenges of having a child with a bleeding disorder. Most of all I met other moms that go through similar situations with their own children; some were even from Puerto […]

Infusing Love: A Surprising Conference

  Parent teacher conferences are synonymous with an interrogation, grilling or even a public debate. I spent about 12 years being on the other side of that debate. I was the one calling the shots, telling parents what their children’s strengths and weaknesses were academically, socially and behaviorally. I was comfortable having the tough conversations […]

Infusing Love: Facing the Music

  It was 2002 when I married Harry, my high school sweetheart. Even then, I never discussed my dad with him because I had to keep my promise. I promised my dad who passed away when I was only 16 to never talk about hemophilia, AIDS, none of it. Harry put the pieces together though, […]

Infusing Love:  A Brotherly Bond

“Watch out for my brother. He’s a bleeder,” Logan will often say when we are at an interactive birthday party. Logan is Maddox’s 5-year-old brother. He is extremely protective of him. Whenever we are at an event Logan will do his best to “protect” his little brother from anyone pushing him too hard or potentially […]

Infusing Love: Understand Your Stress

Caregiving is hard! Did I just state the obvious? I recently saw yet another article about caregivers, caregiver stress, caregiver burn out and the importance of self-care. You know, we’ve all seen them. If you’re like me you may even roll your eyes when you think there are some people that need to be told […]

Infusing Love: Educating Our Children

“A Drop of Blood” Educating our Children “Sometimes I cut my finger, Sometimes I scrape my knee, Sometimes a drop or two of blood Comes dripping out of me. That means I lose some platelets, Some white cells and some red; I lose them by the millions In every drop I shed. But I don’t […]

Infusing Love: Rocking with Hemophilia

When Thomas was much younger, we spent a lot of time in the hospital and as all moms know, keeping a toddler entertained for hours is challenging. I don’t think of him or myself as ancient, but this was pre-tablet days; I would actually haul a portable DVD player and a boxed set of Spiderman […]

Infusing Love: Thanks, But Not Now

HFA does not recommend, endorse or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any specific products, treatments, or opinions. Please consult your physician before use of any treatments. We recently had Jackson’s six-month comprehensive visit at the hematologist. A comprehensive visit is an appointment in which many bleeding disorders specialists meet with […]

Infusing Love: How Do You Measure

“525,600 minutes…525,000 moments so dear.”  Just like the song from the musical “Rent,” those 525,600 minutes go so quickly, and you feel as though in a blink of an eye the year is gone. As we see the finish line of another year, I can’t help but look back at 2018 with mixed emotions. For […]

Infusing Love: It Could Have Been Worse

On Liam’s first day of kindergarten in late August, we brought him to school with a mix of pride, fear, excitement, and tears. Okay, I was the only one who shed the tears, but we were all ready for this big day to arrive.  Though I was nervous, I had spent a lot of time […]

Infusing Love: Thankful for Pain

My first baby was also my first baby with a bleeding disorder. My husband and I did not know this while he grew inside of my body. So instead of learning about factor products, ports, or how to keep him bleed free, I read about natural childbirth, how to make my own baby food, what […]