I would like to take a little time out of my day to raise a bit of awareness for this rare bleeding disorder that is a part of my family's day to day life. There are hard days and there are good days but I have a beautiful son and I wouldn't change a thing about him.
* Hemophilia results from a missing or deficient protein needed for blood clotting.
*The number of people with hemophilia in the United States is estimated to be about 20,000 individuals.
* Approximately 75% of people with hemophilia around the world still receive inadequate treatment or have no access to treatment.
* There is currently no cure for hemophilia. There are very effective treatments available in the US, but they may require lifelong infusion of expensive drugs that are manufactured from human plasma or through recombinant biotechnology.
* Nearly 90% of Americans with severe hemophilia became infected with AIDS in the 1980s when blood and plasma donations in the US were not properly screened for HIV.
*Hemophilia was once known as "The Royal Disease" because it spread through the royal family via Queen Victoria.
*Hemophilia is an inherited condition and occurs in families, however in 1/3 of cases it appears in families with no previous history of the disorder.
Happy World Hemophilia Day, Lyric!
