The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and other genetic bleeding disorders. The WFH was established by Frank Schnabel in 1963 and has member organizations in over 100 countries with official recognition from the World Health Organization.
WFH’s work to save and improve lives is vitally important when 75% of people with bleeding disorders still receive very inadequate treatment or no treatment at all. The percentage is even higher for those with von Willebrand disease and rare factor deficiencies. WFH’s vision of “Treatment for All” is that one day, all people with a bleeding disorder will have proper care, no matter where they live. VHF has been a proud financial supporter of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) and their work in providing global leadership to those with inherited bleeding disorders.
A WFH initiative is World Hemophilia Day, which is an international observance for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders held annually on April 17th. It was started in 1989 and April 17th was chosen in honor of Frank Schnabel’s birthday.
For the last several years WFH has chosen a theme for World Hemophilia Day. This year WFH is focusing on importance of sharing knowledge. To find some important educational resources and hear from top experts go here. To learn more about WFH and how they improve and sustain care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world go here.
VHF is celebrating World Hemophilia Day on Saturday, April 14th with Science Matters! A family-friendly event filled with learning and inspiration, followed by tickets to Nauticus, a maritime-themed science center and museum (thanks to our sponsors Bioverativ and HPC Specialty Pharmacy).
The celebration is being followed up with the “Light it Up Red! For World Hemophilia Day” where the Science Museum of Richmond will be lit red on the evening of April 17th for the 2nd year in a row.
Visit our events page to learn more about our programs and/or make a donation to VHF in support of World Hemophilia Day. Go here to make a donation to WFH to help the global inherited bleeding disorder community. Come help us celebrate and/or donate. You can make a difference!
Kelly Waters, LCSW, MSW
Executive Director | Virginia Hemophilia Foundation
