My experience as a member of the bleeding disorders community and volunteer dates back to my son's birth in 1992. My wife and I were shocked to learn just twenty-four hours after he was born that Eric had hemophilia, severe factor VIII deficiency.

Barbara, our four month old baby, and I attended our first NHF meeting that fall and before Eric could walk we were volunteering with the Florida Chapter. Volunteering and working within the hemophilia community has been very rewarding for us. Barbara was the President of the Hemophilia Foundation of Greater Florida for several years, resigning only when I took a job with a specialty pharmacy that supplied factor to bleeding disorder patients. I am proud to report that for the last few years Eric has been steadfast in his desire to become a hemophilia camp counselor when he is eligible, carrying on the volunteering spirit of his mom.

It is largely because of participation as a volunteer, at "rap sessions," weekend retreats, educational events and meetings that I learned that no two families are alike. Hemophilia is an equal opportunity disorder. Anyone from any financial situation, social condition, any color, or religion can be forced to deal with a bleeding disorder in their family. I have come to appreciate the scores, maybe hundreds of people I have met in the last sixteen years. I have seen that each individual and each family has their own needs, worries, and concerns. I have benefited greatly from all the wonderful people I have been involved with in this community and it is my great pleasure to be teamed up with my friends and co-workers at Matrix Health to find the way to help all who ask, in the unique way that they need, to deal with the challenges of a bleeding disorder.

To contact Dave, click here or dial 239-784-4565

Dave's Articles

Winter 2003 | Through a Fathers Eyes