Hemophilia Required That I Learn To Play Differently
Hemophilia Required That I Learn To Play Differently
Devin, 22, Georgia
There have been a few things consistent in my life. My family, soccer, and my disorder. I was lucky enough to be tested and diagnosed as a baby since my Mom knew that there was a chance that I would have Hemophilia. It turns out that I did, and I tested positive for Type A Mild Hemophilia.
It was lucky for myself and my family to know about my disorder at such a young age, especially after I met kids who didn’t know that they had Hemophilia until after they were sent to the hospital. Since I knew that I had Hemophilia when I was young it was easier for my family and myself to keep me safe. My disorder quickly became a bigger part of my personality and my life.
Sports also quickly became an integral part of my identity. My dad played Collegiate Soccer and he made sure that my sister and I started playing young. I probably kicked a ball for the first time at around 2 years old, and I was hooked. I have continued to play soccer for my whole life and have had plenty of success. My teams have played in the Southeastern Regional Premier League and won Georgia High School’s AAA State Title. I’m lucky that I was able to play on some great teams with some of my closest friends. I still play pickup with lots of my teammates to this day.
Young Devin
With my successes I have also had many failures and hardships. My first major hurdle playing soccer came when my family, doctor, and I had to make a decision about whether or not I should continue to play soccer. I was 13 and soccer was becoming more demanding, serious, and potentially dangerous. Everyone was getting bigger, faster, and stronger. My doctor definitely did not push for me to continue playing; she wanted me to understand that what I am doing can be detrimental to my body later in my life. Eventually we agreed that I could and should continue to play, with a few conditions. One was that I had to learn how to take care of myself. Meaning that I would have to learn to self-infuse, play Soccer more safely, and learn how to put myself in safe situations.
I learned to self-infuse pretty quickly. I took prophylaxis before games to try to prevent any injury. For the most part this worked and I did not have many problems with bleeds that resulted from me playing.
Changing how I played soccer however was hard for me. Honestly, it took me years to change my playstyle while at the same time still being able to play at a high level. The game was getting faster and I needed to do things differently than other kids. I had to avoid contested headers and be careful about situations that I put myself in on the field. Learning how to do this in the end made me a better player. I was able to read the game better and became better with the ball at my feet.
After a few years of changing my playstyle I switched to a team in the top division of Georgia’s Select Soccer. I earned my spot on my team as we won promotion to the South Eastern Regional League. I also was able to excel on my High-School team and we made the Final Four in my Junior year and won State in my Senior year.
So why am I writing this? I want to let people know that having a blood disorder like Hemophilia doesn’t have to hold you back from flourishing in athletics or any other aspect in life. I know that athletics may not be a possibility for everyone with VWD and Hemophilia, but there are other options like academics that you can excel in. Now that I am a Senior in college I still use lessons that I have learned from playing soccer in the classroom. I make sure to put myself in positions where I can succeed, similar to how I did on the field. I do this by making sure that I know what work I need to do in the next few weeks and make a plan so that I can do my work effectively. I also learned about how much effort is required to be successful. I know that if I push myself I can do well in school and set myself up for the rest of my life.
Another reason that I am sharing my story is because I don’t know many people with a disorder like mine. I was happy to read stories from other people and see similarities with my own life. I hope that people read this and gain the confidence in their abilities to succeed in whatever they want, whether it’s athletics, academics, theater, or anything else.