May is the month of Mother’s Day, and also is Mental Health Awareness Month.

To finish up the month, I want to give a shout out to Debbie de la Riva, mother of an adult son with hemophilia and dear friend, and licensed professional counselor, who created a program to help raise awareness of mental health issues in our community, as well as ways to address them. Her program is an invaluable resource. As we know, any chronic disorder must be treated medically. But mental health is important as well.

Debbie has been an active member of the bleeding disorder community for over 25 years. She served as executive director of the Lone Star Chapter of NHF, was a co-chair of an NHF Annual Meeting, received a Ryan White Award for Advocacy Excellence, and has presented on mental health issues to chapter and national organizations. In 2018, Debbie founded “Mental Health Matters Too” as a way for helping community members who struggle with mental health challenges.

She has many podcasts and interviews available on line, listed below, that can offer insights into what people with bleeding disorders must endure, besides the pain of bleeds and infusions.

Thanks to Debbie for her dedications, as a mother and professional and community member!

To contact Debbie: www.mentalhealthmatterstoo.com or debbie@mhmtoo.com, (832) 689-9434

https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-de-la-riva-b99437245

https://www.bloodstreammedia.com/expert-episodes/ep-17

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxiQVkqsXtx

Suicide Prevention Hotline:  1-800-273-TALK (8255) https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/