Kristin’s Surprise Diagnosis

Just last year, my daughter, Kristin, was diagnosed with mild hemophilia A. On her 16th birthday, we spent the day at Oregon Health Sciences, verifying her diagnosis and testing the drug she was prescribed to make sure it would work for her.

I was probably more upset by her diagnosis than when I was told that my son Alex had hemophilia. I was angry when Alex was diagnosed, but at least I was prepared for that possibility. But, I wasn’t prepared when I found out about Kristin. So, it was a different kind of emotion. At first, I didn’t believe it. You know, you're told all along that girls don't have hemophilia. Well, now she had hemophilia and that explained why she’s had problems healing with certain injuries.

I didn’t even think about having her checked. It didn’t enter my mind. I had let her do all these things. She's a pitcher. She's been hit in the face by a ball. She's had knee injuries, ankle injuries, elbow injuries, and shoulder injuries. She's very athletic. She's had oral surgery and all this work done on her teeth. So I was pretty upset that I had put her at risk without
knowing it.

It's a new thing. I mean not that it's new that girls have hemophilia; it's just that we now accept they have hemophilia and test for it. She's a carrier as well. At first, I worried about what would happen if a girl with hemophilia married a boy with hemophilia. I thought there could be some genetic problems, but we discovered it could all be worked out if it's really true love so I’m not worried about it anymore.

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.