Health is not defined by a diagnosis

Health is not defined by a diagnosis

When I was diagnosed with hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease in the 1970s, I was just 10 years old. Back then, most people didn’t believe girls could have hemophilia. I was told that my “deep blood” didn’t clot properly and sent on my way. Bleeding disorders didn’t run in my family, so my parents were completely clueless about what to expect. For a long time, I let my bleeding problems shape how I saw myself: disabled, fragile, different. B…