What inspired the Red Tie?

The Red Tie was introduced as the symbol for the bleeding disorders community in 2016, when NHF and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worked together to designate March as an official U.S. health observance month — Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. The Red Tie reflects the fact the blood ties — embodied in the color red and the tie — are what bind the community together.

What is the Red Tie Campaign?

NHF’s Red Tie Campaign is an annual campaign that aims to advance the fight against inheritable bleeding disorders by raising funds for research, education and advocacy initiatives.

When is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month?

March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. NHF successfully advocated to the US Department of Health and Human Services to have the designation officially recognized.

What are inheritable bleeding disorders?

Bleeding disorders are genetic disorders that affect the ability of a person’s blood to clot properly, which can lead to extended bleeding after injury, surgery, trauma or menstruation.

Hemophilia A and B affect 20,000 people in the US. The primary symptom is uncontrolled, often spontaneous bleeding in different areas of the body. Internal bleeding, which is common around joints, can result in pain and swelling and — if left untreated ­— can cause permanent damage.

von Willebrand disease (VWD) is caused by a deficient or defective blood protein: von Willebrand factor. The most common bleeding disorder, it is estimated to affect up to 1% of the US population. Symptoms include frequent nosebleeds, easy bruising and excessive bleeding following surgery, heavy or abnormal bleeding during menstrual periods and excessive bleeding after childbirth.

Rare Bleeding Disorders are deficiencies in clotting factor I, II, V, VII, X, XI and XIII. In general, these rare bleeding disorders are passed down in an autosomal recessive fashion, which means they affect men and women equally. This also means that when the factor deficiency is inherited from only one parent, the child will be a carrier of the condition, though he or she will usually not have symptoms. New mutations may also appear; in these cases, the family history will be negative.

Platelet Disorders Our blood contains small, sticky cells called platelets. Platelets stick to blood vessels and try to block the bleeding upon an injury. They also send out a chemical signal that attracts other platelets. Those platelets stick to the platelets at the injury site to form a plug that stops the bleeding. Platelets sometimes do not work as they should and when that happens, a person has a platelet disorder.