Hi! My name is Charlie. I am almost 9 years old and I'm in 3rd grade. I was born with Hemophilia which is a bleeding disorder. It means my blood is missing one of the clotting factors called Factor VIII. Your blood needs this to make clots and stop the bleeding after an injury. I am the first person with hemophilia in my family. I am even the only kid in my whole school that has hemophilia! It is very rare! I learned a lot about hemophilia from going to events with the Bleeding Disorders Foundation of North Carolina. I also met other kids and adults with Hemophilia. They helped my parents learn a lot about taking care of me.
I have to be a little extra careful because I have hemophilia but I can still do lots of activities! I just started playing lacrosse this year and I love it! I also love riding my bike, rollerblading and hiking in the mountains. I take a medicine that helps my blood clot every day and also when I get hurt. It usually works pretty well but sometime I still get hurt. Last year I had a joint bleed in my knee. My knee was very swollen and I couldn't straigthen my leg. I had to use crutches for a few days because I couldn't walk. I took extra factor that went into my vein to help my body stop the bleeding in my knee.
Our team, Charlie's Troopers is walking to help raise money for BDFNC. We have been walking since I was 1 year old! Please help support our team by making a donation today!