Inhibitors

There Will Be Blood


When I decided to write a book about inhibitors (which I am currently doing), I thought how cool it would be to actually visit with a family and see what their regular life is like. It’s hard to write about something when you don’t see it in action or live it. Now, I wouldn’t say that the Fatulas are a typical family with inhibitors: four boys, and three have hemophilia and inhibitors! And lucky me, I was able to visit with them in Western Pennsylvania this past weekend.

Some of you may know Kerry Fatula. She’s the executive director of the Western Penn Chapter (her aunt, Louise, is executive director of the Alaska chapter). She and I served on the Novo Nordisk Consumer Council for the past two years, where we became fast friends. Okay, we became friends after I made her watch a really terrible movie after one council meeting, and we either would be friends for life or never speak to one another again. So friends it was. Turns out we have lots more surprising things in common. Inhibitors, however, is not one of them.

I hung out with Kerry and her husband Chuck at NHF in November, and proposed the idea of a visit. They were so accommodating and welcomed me like family. I arrived Friday evening, Kerry picked me up at the airport, and we promptly went and ordered what seemed like 16 chili dogs at a drive through for the family. It was great seeing everyone again. Paul, 18, headed out that evening to a sleepover so we didn’t get to chat much. Nathan, age 16, is a delightful conversationalist and budding guitarist. Stephen, 5, slept through the whole evening on the couch even though we were pretty loud. And Colin, age 8, just stole my heart (he’s the hemophilia-lite one).

On Saturday I must have interviewed Kerry for 5 straight hours. We covered everything you would want to know about inhibitors: how each boy was diagnosed with inhibitors; early problems; ITT; products used; relationship with the medical community; searching for info; having more children. Kerry is superwoman: all these children, trying to infuse each one daily for their ITT and get them to school. She painted a hysterical picture of herself sitting on each boy, every morning, poking them with a needle to get their factor, like an assembly line! Kerry confirmed what I am learning: each family with inhibitors is almost completely different from every other one. It’s hard to draw generalities. What I learned most is what amazing parents Kerry and Chuck are. Four lovely, healthy young men who are just regular boys and who will be wonderful men some day.

Back at their house Saturday afternoon, Nate let me interview him for a while. He missed so much public school due to bleeds, that he uses Cyber School now. Of the three boys with hemophilia, only Nate has not been tolerized. Kind of like saying he’s never been domesticated! His blood runs wild. He has a great attitude, and wants to make a career of music. 

After the interviews, the youngest boys, Stephen and Colin, decorated me and Kerry with tattoos: a butterfly for Kerry; a psychedelic heart for me, right on my hand for all to see. Stephen chose a mushroom for his hand, and Colin chose a guitar for the back of his neck. Then Kerry and I stole away to see “There Will Be Blood,” the new movie that is getting rave reviews and Oscar nods for Best Picture. It also stars Daniel Day-Lewis. Kerry and I learned we were both huge DDL fans. Appropriate for two hemo moms to see a movie with such a title. And when you have inhibitors, there will be blood. It’s a whole different ball game than just having hemophilia. The movie was great, and my weekend even better. What a wonderful treat to spend a weekend with such a great family. We parted with many good byes and the nicest hug from little Stephen.

Great Book I Just Read: The Kokopelli Theory, by Kevin Correa. This medical thriller is a first-time novel by a local Georgetown resident. The author actually stopped by to give me a copy, but it’s the topic that had me read it: a medical student slowly uncovers a shocking theory about the spread of hepatitis C. From a stolen serum in California in the 1970s, to the Serengeti plains, to the highest reaches of the World Health Organization, the story keeps you guessing and doubting. Good read for a first time author! I think this would make for a great movie, too; it has all the right components for a great summer flick.

Largest Ever Inhibitor Meeting

The Novo Nordisk Dallas Inhibitor Education Summit was the largest ever gathering of inhibitor patients in the world–very impressive! Over 75 families attended. In the US, there are only about 1200 people with inhibitors. Trying to get this small group together for weekend is not easy, but they came from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Florida, California and Pennsylvania, as well as many other states. It was great to see both old friends and make some new friends.

On Friday, I facilitated the Novo Nordisk Consumer Council Meeting, which brought together for the last time a team I have worked with for two years. Our role is to offer feedback to the marketing team at Novo Nordisk about product enhancement, educational materials, and needs in the inhibitor community. We also reviewed the first winner of the Uninhibited Achievement Award, Mike McNamara, whom we had all selected at a previous webcast conference. Gar Park of Novo Nordisk reviewed our achievements of the past two years, and they were amazing! I think of all the consumer advisory groups I’ve worked with or facilitated this has been the most productive.

There were lots of tears shed when parting came (right, Theresa?), and we are now accepting applications for the next two years. If you know anyone with inhibitors or is a caregiver of a person with inhibitors who might be eligible and available, please let us know! We will need about 10 new council members.

The rest of the weekend was a series of excellent lectures and panel discussions on topics ranging from factor IX and inhibitors (an incredibly rare combo) to pain meds to advocacy. Excellent speakers, audience participation and flawless event planning by Cadent Medical made for a memorable weekend.

Next year the Summits will be held, but maybe with some changes in venue and direction. Be sure to check with both the NHF and HFA to learn where and when they will be held. If you have inhibitors, you will not want to miss these! All travel expenses have been paid by Novo Nordisk so it will cost you nothing to attend, and you have everything to gain!

(Photos: top down, Panel discussion; Consumer Council at Work; Mario and his mom, from San Antonio; Laurie with Deena and son Tyler; Jessica and Kerry; Laurie and Kerry with Cowboy Jim!)

Inhibitor Summit in San Diego


I am in California all this week and just spent the weekend in San Diego at another great Inhibitor Summit, this one with a record number of attendees from across the US. The energy at these events is tremendous, and the parents and patients are actively involved in all sessions. I was glad to see many people returning from last year, which made this very much like a reunion of friends.

Friday began with a wonderful review of inhibitors by Susan Karp, RN (University of California, San Francisco), who is well known and respected in our community. In the evening after dinner, a fun yet insightful icebreaker by Heather Huszti, PhD, a psychologist who works with families with hemophilia, who had quite a few fans in the audience. The activity taught us a lot about teamwork.

The Main Event on Saturday was chaired by Dr. Guy Young, now based in Los Angeles, who also gave us an overview of treatment strategies. And an incredibly inspirational talk was given by 23-year-old Rich Pezzillo of Rhode Island, whom I am honored to call my friend, about his experiences with inhibitors from age 18 to age 23. Rich has suffered tremendously and faced many hardships in the last five years, but it has only strengthened his resolve to live life to the fullest and deepened his faith. His speech really set a positive and uplifting tone for the day.

There were sessions on venous access, diet, surgery, parenting, transition and ITT. The day ended with a great educational talk by Nathan Wilkes of Utah, who has a son with an inhibitor, on what he has learned about advocacy.

See photos of the event here.

Well, the day didn’t actually end there. It ended with an amazingly fun celebration, under a covered tent, with a traveling petting zoo for the kids–complete with monkey, chinchilla and tortoise. And for the grown ups? Karaoke and dancing! Wow, do I have some incriminating photos of some of our community members! Only half kidding, just some memorable shots of dear friends having a great time. I do recall: Matt Compton and Gar Park singing “I Wanna be Sedated”; Chris and Leland Smith rapping “Walk This Way” a la Run DMC/Aerosmith with Ezra Robison; Shuantaye belting out some amazing Beyonce; Eva cutting some amazing dance moves; Eva, Shantaye, Doreen and the ladies looking like “Dreamgirls”; and everyone (me included) doing the electric slide! It was a wonderful time and we all thank Novo Nordisk for sponsoring this fabulous event that not only educated us, but brought us together to make happy memories and new friends.

I have the greatest admiration for families with inhibitors and what they endure, and am impressed with their exceptional medical knowledge. Congratulations to them all for their perseverance, fortitude and achievements!

Next Summit? In Dallas, October 6. Check out www.inhibitorsummits.org to see if you qualify to attend. I hope to see you there!

New Inhibitor Book in Progress!

Well, I was hoping to be blogging from Nashville this weekend, as I was planning to attend the Inhibitor Summit meeting sponsored by Novo Nordisk.

Did anyone reading this go to the Summit? If so, let us know how it was! These are really fantastic events that bring the inhibitor community in touch and closer, and I think by now we all recognize that this has been a neglected part of our community. Also, this is a great time to mention that I am now researching and writing the world’s first inhibitor book for parents and patients. If you have inhibitors or a child with inhibitors, please let me know. We’d love to interview you and hear what you have to say. If you know of anyone with inhibitors who might like to participate, please have them contact us.

I just finished watching a nice video called “A Bright Future,” geared for parents of children newly-diagnosed. It consists mainly of various testimonials by families of all types. It’s warm and fuzzy, beautifully shot, with a soft, reassuring tone. It’s sparse on information about hemophilia, so if you are looking for facts and figures, you might supplement this with some other materials. But I think if you know of new families, or if you are one, this will be a nice beginning. Typically, when there is a new diagnosis, most families don’t usually want facts and figures anyway–they want reassurance. This was created by my friend Joe Caronna at Inalex Communications, sponsored by Baxter BioScience, and features a lot of people I know! That made it very fun to watch. Order it at www.inalex.com.

Have a great week!

Inhibitor Summits 2007

Many people have been asking us about the Inhibitor Summit meetings that were so successful and useful in 2006. They are now scheduled in 2007. Sponsored by Novo Nordisk, these are really the only meetings that are truly addressing the need of patients with inhibitors. Here’s the schedule:

May 18-19 Nashville, TN
July 20-21 San Diego, CA
October 5-6 Dallas, TX

For more information, visit www.inhibitorsummits.com or email us, and we’ll update you. If you are a family or patient with inhibitors, you may qualify for free airfare and hotel! I’ll also be attending and look forward to seeing you there!

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