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23Feb/12Off

Shoes of a Hemophiliac

Posted by Vaughn Ripley

We often hear statements like, "Oh yeah ... Well you should try walking in my shoes..." Today, I'd like to offer my shoes and allow you to see through the eyes of a hemophiliac. Let's start off by explaining what the heck hemophilia is. Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder in which your blood does not clot normally or properly. It is carried in the X chromosome, and is called an X-linked genetic disorder. Cutting through all of the obfuscation, it essentially means that I inherited a factor VIII (factor-8) deficiency from my mother, who was a carrier. Dumbing (is that even a word?) it down even further, it means that unlike average boys and girls, if I get bruised or cut, I will not stop bleeding without medical assistance.

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