Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton

Pulse on the Road presented its program in the beautiful city of
Memphis. We were honored to be invited by the Tennessee Hemophilia and Bleeding
Disorder Foundation to their annual meeting, where over 300 family members
assembled to learn more about efforts to preserve hemophilia care. The meeting
opened on Saturday with a speech by Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr., an
intelligent and charming gentleman, who pledged his support for the Foundation.
Mary Hord, executive director, then reviewed the incredible roster of programs
and activities provided by this successful and high-functioning NHF chapter. They
have over 1,000 families registered, something to be proud of in itself!

 

Laurie meets Rev. Shane Stanford

Then came a profound, humble, and at times very humorous recollection
of a personal and positive life. Speaker Rev. Shane Stanford is the pastor of a
church in Memphis, recently relocated from Florida, who has hemophilia and HIV.
I don’t want to give away his spectacular presentation, all done without a
single power point, but it is of a celebration of life over adversity. I don’t
think there was a dry eye in the room, although everyone kept saying they had allergies
or something, and a long line formed after his speech, so families could meet
this remarkable man in person. I had long wanted to meet him, based on a recommendation
of mutual friend Barry Haarde; mission accomplished, and we are all the richer
spiritually for having met Shane.

 

This morning we held Pulse on the Road after breakfast. Not easy to
digest (insurance that is), our material was absorbed and contemplated by a
rapt audience. We covered the ACA and what’s happening in Tennessee. Michelle
Rice presented the NHF Insurance Selector Tool (you can download it at www.hemophilia.org, which I highly
recommend) and everyone got busy comparing two hypothetical insurance plans to
see which one was better. Many participants praised the tool as essential in
learning to master personal insurance.

 

Michelle Rice, NHF, speaks as Kelly Fitzgerald, PSI, looks on

Kelly Fitzgerald covered the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and what to
watch out for coming in 2014. Then we held our Community Forum, in which audience
members could ask questions of our panel of experts, which included Catherine
Joyce, social worker at a local HTC.

 

It was a great weekend, with a fantastic foundation and its attentive
and friendly hemophilia family members. Thank you, Mary Hord and team, for a memorable
visit!

 

 

Social Worker Catherine Joyce answers a question

Using NHF’s Insurance Selector Tool

 

 

We do POTR for their future!

Laurie & Zoraida, LA Kelley Communications

 

The POTR Speakers   * “Once in a Lifetime” Talking Heads