Welcome to our Matty’s Marchers Family Team page!
Matty's Marchers was established about 7 years ago. Our grandfather passed away unexpectedly from a non related hemophilia illness. My grandparents and many of the family walked and fundraised prior to his passing but his grandchildren wanted to honor the legacy by walking in his memory using his image as the logo on our team shirts.
Our grandfather was 83 years young when he passed but left a legacy that is still remembered today. He was born with severe hemophilia A (vll) in a time when there was no medicine to take to help with the bleeds. As years passed he was able to get plasma in the hospitals and finally a new recombinant product to take at home. My grandfather didn't learn to self infuse himself until his 60s and had the help of his second wife and nurses. Our grandfather lived through the 80s when over 10,000 people were lost in the hemophilia community alone and many millions more throughout the world when AIDS/HIV and Hep C infected the blood supply. Due to pure stubbornness, my grandfather was one of the few who did not contract the AIDS virus through his medication. He did however contract Hep C and was thankfully cured through medical treatments. We are truly grateful that we were able to spend as much time as we did with my grandfather and share so many memories from the past that almost seemed like a different world.
One thing my grandparents passed on to their children was the act of giving back and thus his 3 children continued that tradition with their children. Now the eldest grandchildren are keeping the tradition going along with Eleanor, our nana, with every event they can get to to give back to an organization that is near and dear to our families heart!
Family camp was especially one of the events that both our grandparents loved and continue to love going to each year. They would love to drive and ride along in the snack cart around camp yell and ringing the bell for snacks to alert everyone that the cart was getting closer with some sweet and healthy treats along with water and lemonade. Our nana continues to ride around camp on the snack yelling "Snacks!" with a wood plaque engraved with our grandfathers face on the front and a new copilot driving around keeping his memory alive.
The Unite for Bleeding Disorders Walk greatly helps to offset the cost for family camp and now allows many families to attend at little or no cost for 4 days on beautiful Lake winnipesaukee. The walk also helps fund many of our amazing programs throughout the year that educate families on life living with a bleeding disorder.
This organization has done amazing things for our family and we ask that you give what you can to help all those living with a bleeding disorder to live the best life they can have and accomplish all their hopes and dreams. Please consider donating in any way possible to our family team and thank you from the bottom of our hearts from the whole Matty’s Marcher Family!
