Kentucky Reigns

This week I travel to Kentucky to meet with many old friends and to be introduced to new ones at Hemophilia Federation of America’s annual Symposium. I usually am traveling overseas and have missed the last few years. HFA’s Symposium brings community members together to attend educational sessions, meet new members of the community, experience HFA programming, get motivated to action and to also have fun.

I am especially interested in the program on Healthcare Reform, to hear how healthcare reform may impact those with bleeding disorders.

So when was the last time you checked out the Hemophilia Federation of America’s website?

It’s a great place to see advocacy in action. If there is one word I’d use to describe HFA, it’s advocacy. Founded in 1994, HFA has come a long way to define itself as a national organization. It was founded to meet unmet needs, though at the time we already had a national organization. The US is a big country, and diverse, with a traumatic history regarding hemophilia. HFA began as a grassroots upstart, defying the status quo and challenging the system—it’s primary focus was on blood safety, which made sense since so many of those who founded HFA were affected by the HIV contamination.

Now, with much of that behind the community, HFA still keeps its activist core and encourages families to join their efforts. This is much needed now as we enjoy the benefits of the new healthcare reform even while we worry what it holds in store for us.

Tune in next Sunday when I will provide some highlights and photos from my visit.

And visit www.hemophilifed.org to see what this driven and talented group is accomplishing!

Great Book I Just Read
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

This is one of my all-time favorites and I read it again just to keep it fresh. A timeless tale of poverty, starvation, survival and then success, and how the wheel of life keeps turning. Set in 19th century China, Wang Lung, a poor farmer, awakes on his wedding day. His wife, O-lan, a former slave in the house of a great lord, is homely and silent, but makes an excellent wife. The couple work the land and their efforts are rewarded. Until the drought… with great simplicity but beauty Buck pulls back the veil on peasant life in China, the beliefs and customs, while addressing human frailties that transcend all cultures and countries. Four stars.