VWD brings new friends in unexpected places!
VWD brings new friends in unexpected places!
Chynna, 18, Georgia
When I was 3 or 4, my parents asked my doctor why I always had bruises on my shins. They dismissed it as me just being a toddler. When I was 7, I begin to have nosebleeds. They would last an hour. When I was taken to an ENT, they dismissed me as picking my nose. My grandmother had storage pool disease. My father had been tested and it came back negative, so he was told I was at no risk. I continued to have nosebleeds, even in my sleep. I learned to control my emotions otherwise I would start bleeding. If I had a bad bleed, I would black out. At age 16 I went a gynecologist for my periods. She asked me some questions and then said she thought I might have VWD. She ran some tests, and sure enough I did.
At first I was angry so many doctors had failed to see the signs. We had already informed the school of my nosebleeds, since I had a bad one at school already. We got a 504 in place. During my junior year I had a lot of nosebleeds at school. The school was terrified of me, and threatened to call 911 every time I had a bleed. I was then put into an organization known as Hemophilia of Georgia. They assigned me a personal nurse and he came out to my school and taught all my teachers and administrators how to handle me. In addition, they hosted a summer camp and a teen retreat that I went to. It was amazing to meet other teens like me. Up until that point, I didn’t know anyone with a bleeding disorder and didn’t know much about myself. I learned so much from them and even though I only got to go one time, all the teens accepted me as their family and we all text everyday. Living with VWD isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’ve learned how to take care of myself and live my best life. I still dance and I still ride horses.
In addition, I’ve met some of the best people I never would of met without this disease.
Feel free to comment below and tell the community where you have meet unexpected friends as a result of your VWD or Hemophilia!