I wear Medic Alert, because in case you get in an accident,
and you're with no one that knows about your condition,
it's like your lifeline basically.
Because paramedics,
or anyone who responds to the accident that you've been in,
needs to know that you have hemophilia,
because if you're losing a lot of blood very rapidly,
that basically is deadly.
Having a health condition that isn't really visible until you have a bleed,
and then when you do have a bleed,
how do you come back to school after being away,
And what do you choose to share with your friends.
I'm not really open about it,
so I don't talk to a lot of people about my hemophilia.
If they ask me, or if they notice I have a Medic Alert bracelet,
then I'll explain it to them and talk to them about it.
I've been on the Ontario canoe trips, I've led them for fourteen years,
and sometimes around the campfire we've talked,
about 'how do we tell our girlfriend',
or, 'she may not want to date me anymore',
or 'I'm different', or,
'my needle marks, they might think are drugs.'
All my friends know that I have it,
and I did my grade 8 speech on it.
Just that they'd look at me differently, if I told them about it,
then they'd just treat me differently than other people.
Some children need some support about how to communicate with their peers,
And how to feel safe to share that they have hemophilia.
It's about taking good care of yourself, wherever you're doing that,
whether it be insetting your teeth, wearing a Medic Alert bracelet,
knowing about your disorder, knowing when to go to the hospital.
If you're traveling, getting prepared.
You want to let us know where you're traveling
so we can set you up with enough factor,
and travel letters, and things like that, that you would need.
And it's always dependent on where you're going in the world
and how long you're going for.
Make sense?
Because obviously a trip to England for one week,
is very different than going to Malawi for 3 months to volunteer.
I went to Europe on a school trip.
Just in terms of preparation,
with that, I got travel letters from Sickkids,
sent an e-mail off to the heads at the hemophilia clinics
closest to where I would be.
I went through everything with my mom,
with the teachers to make sure they were comfortable.
So it was just a matter of...
not so much me worrying, and trying to get myself prepared,
but making sure that I had the proper paperwork for it.
For the product that I'd bring,
I'd look at how many days I was there,
so if I was there for like two weeks,
I'd bring 10 or 11 vial things.
In case I got a really bad bleed, I'd have enough there.
So you need to think of those things.
What are some of the viruses or illnesses, like what vaccines,
do I need to see a travel clinic to make sure that you've got vaccinations.
Are those vaccinations safe for you?
Some of hemophilia's going to put more stress on your liver,
so you need to talk to your physicians about that.
So it's planning.
More often that not, it's sort of the more adult challenges,
that people have to understand that there might be and will be limitations on.
And those are issues around work,
and sometimes people have to call in sick more often than they'd like to,
or their job is of a physical nature,
that they're challenged in ways that could jeopardize their health.
Whether it's me writing a letter, or speaking to the employer,
or helping that person hook up with the right lawyer,
or human rights person, or something like that...
I take my job as an advocate quite seriously,
and I help that person,
very often to do things that they couldn't on their own.
I think I'd be able to handle working a more physically-demanding job,
Like a trade or something, because I know my body really well.
I know how I can push myself to my limits without exceeding them.
And I know that in order to do such things,
I have to stay consistent with treatments,
and I've been pretty good with that,
so I think I'd be able to continue on in future.
Not to sound corny, but the whole idea of becoming an adult can just be an adventure.
That can be something that doesn't need to be feared, but rather enjoyed.
I think I can help people,
when I talk with them about embarking upon that adventure,
and it being something that's interesting and fun, and not necessarily scary.