Good Sports
Because of CSL Behring events in the community, my kids have learned that they’re not the only “normal” kids with hemophilia. My son Alex and daughter Kristin have always been very active in school sports. But it was their involvement in CSL Behring’s JNC as well as Gettin’ in the GameSM (GIG) events that showed them there are other kids with hemophilia who are also very active.
At this year’s regional JNC in Portland, Alex took first place in baseball and Kristin took third place. Kristin has won several other awards, including taking second place at the JNC two years ago. She was also just chosen to sit on the Hemophilia Youth Council (through NHF). This is Alex’s fourth year at the JNC. While he has been on first-place teams before, this is probably his first big personal award.
Perry and Corey Parker’s participation in these events has been a huge plus. Corey, a former professional ballplayer who is now a manager of coagulation products for CSL Behring, greatly inspires my son. Corey has done really great things for Alex, and both of my kids think Corey is great. On the back of my son’s little league playing card, he names Corey Parker as his favorite player. Alex points out that there’s only one professional player who has hit home runs in five consecutive at bats—Corey Parker. Corey isn’t just a major participant in JNC; he represents a milestone in his sport.
So does his brother Perry Parker, a golfer who has won numerous titles and tournaments. It makes you realize how much hemophilia has taken a backseat for both of the Parker brothers. It’s not that they have hemophilia and they play sports—they’re just cool people who happen to have hemophilia. And now, with Corey coming to work for CSL Behring, they’ve been joined by Jesse Schrader, a semiprofessional pitcher who has not let hemophilia deter him from a baseball career.
Alex’s “bruise buddy,” Benjamin Gruher, won the championship for golf at the Portland regional. Benjamin, who is only 7, rode with us to the JNC. Later that day, when we got home, we found out Kristin had gotten her appointment to the youth council. So we joked that our car was hot that day!
Lately it seems that Alex has had more opportunities than kids who don’t have hemophilia. If he didn’t have hemophilia, he wouldn’t have been able to participate in the CSL Behring events, like Gettin’ in the Game. He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to win the regional JNC, or to meet Corey Parker. CSL Behring also sponsored an all-expense-paid trip for the regional winners and their families to attend the National Hemophilia Foundation’s (NHF) 58th annual meeting in Philadelphia, so we headed to the NHF meeting along with Benjamin’s family—and Benjamin found that he had won the national championship in golf!
Alex and Benjamin are becoming very good friends. And that’s another great thing about the CSL Behring events—the friendships the kids form. My kids have made friends with people from California to New Jersey, and they’re still in touch with many of them. My family really appreciates and enjoys the CSL Behring events.
Before your child begins any physical activity, always consult with a doctor or Hemophilia Treatment Center to make sure the activity is right for him or her.
