Page 2 - HFA Dateline 2022 Q3 Fall

EXECUTIVE CORNER

HI FRIENDS,
Fall is here! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and a smooth transition into fall. I ended my
summer with a wonderful but challenging three-day backpacking trip, and then a few weeks later
my husband and I welcomed fall with a trip to Copenhagen. Traveling reminds me how big this
world is, yet how connected we all are. It’s similar to how having a bleeding disorder can feel
so rare and isolating at times, but once we get connected to this community, it feels like such a
smaller and friendlier world.

Living as a ‘Mild’
I’m excited that this month’s cover article is focused on mild hemophilia. Though I have mild
von Willebrand disease, I can relate to some of the challenges of being diagnosed as a “mild.”
I didn’t get diagnosed until my teenage years in a medical
emergency, and once I was diagnosed it felt like all Those with factor levels that
the pieces finally went together. These symptoms that
had been overlooked for years finally made sense, but, fall into the mild category face
frustratingly, there aren’t as many treatment options as I challenges such as proper
thought there’d be, and it’s often a hard path to navigate. diagnosis, factor levels that

Those with mild hemophilia can often feel forgotten. In fluctuate and may appear normal
fact, it’s only been in recent decades that the medical at times, and finding others who
community has begun to acknowledge that women understand what it’s like.
hemophilia gene carriers can actually have mild
hemophilia. Those with factor levels that fall into the mild
category face challenges such as proper diagnosis, factor levels that fluctuate and may appear
normal at times, and finding others who understand what it’s like.
Page 20 features community members with mild hemophilia, including the treatments that might
work for individuals, the challenges they face and the things they need to consider every day.

Using Marijuana and CBD
On page 26, Dateline Federation takes a look at how some community members are using various
cannabis products—including more traditional marijuana and a variety of CBD products—to help
with pain and stress. It can be tricky to navigate because laws vary widely from state to state
and you need to know what’s allowed—using recreational marijuana is still illegal at the federal
level. But whether a product is legal where you live or not, you also need to know what’s safe and
how to choose a product right for you. This article walks you through some of those choices and
shares the experiences of a few people with bleeding disorders who use cannabis.

Dateline Live
Please join HFA November 14–15 as we present the virtual event Dateline Live. This event will
cover two main topic areas: insurance and approved products/emerging therapies. See page 6
for more information.

Allie Ritcey

Chair, HFA Board of Directors

2 DATELINE FEDERATION < www.hemophiliafed.org