Mark Your Calendars: March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month and the Start of VHF's Season of Giving!

March is Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month and a great time to show support and raise awareness for the bleeding disorders community. Throughout the month of March and up until our Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 20th,  the weekend after World Hemophilia Day, VHF will offer numerous opportunities to come together for education, to raise awareness, and to fundraise on behalf of our amazing bleeding disorders community! Then join us to recognize and honor all that we have accomplished on Sunday, April 21st  at the Bleeding Disorders Awareness & Education Celebration in Natural Bridge!

VHF Upcoming Events

MARCH | BLEEDING DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH (BDAM)

Saturday, 2nd – BDAM Month Community Event (Top Golf, Virginia Beach)

Sunday, 3rd - BDAM Month Community Event (Top Golf, Richmond)

Tuesday, 5th – General Assembly Weekly Check-In (Virtual)

Wednesday, 13th – Educational Dinner with CHKD-HTC (Apex Entertainment, VA Beach)

Thursday, 14th – Educational Dinner “Drug Discovery & Beyond” (Roanoke)

Saturday, 16th – Educational Lunch “Insurance Updates” with VCU-HTC (Richmond)

Tuesday, 19th – Educational Dinner “Expect the Unexpected” (Winchester)

APRIL 

Saturday, 20th – VHF Annual Meeting (Natural Bridge)

Sunday, 21st – Bleeding Disorders Awareness & Education Celebration (Natural Bridge)

Lyman Fisher Scholarship

Application Deadline: 11:59 pm, Friday, March 29, 2024

VHF is proud to offer the Lyman Fisher Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded annually to a deserving community member who is pursuing higher education and/or vocational/technical school.  

Camp Youngblood at Camp Holiday Trails

Application Deadline: 11:59 pm, Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Camp Youngblood (CYB) Sunday, July 14 – Friday, July 19, 2024! CYB is a week-long overnight camp at Camp Holiday Trails for children ages 7-17 with inherited bleeding disorders, their siblings, and children of members of the inherited bleeding disorder community that reside within the VHF/HACA coverage area.  

VHF Annual Meeting: Register Today!

RSVP Deadline: 11:59 pm, Monday, March 18, 2024

Meeting Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024

Meeting Location: Natural Bridge Hotel & Conference Center
Overnight accommodations and dinner at The Natural Bridge Hotel & Conference Center are available on the nights of Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th.

VHF’s Annual Meeting brings together the inherited bleeding disorder community to share information on a wide variety of topics and it is a great opportunity for networking and support for individuals and families.

Community Conversations: Carla Boucher

VHF Board member Carla Boucher was recently interviewed by fellow VHF and NBDF National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI) member Paxton Mills in a pilot installment of interviews highlighting leaders across the bleeding disorders community, both locally and nationally. Watch their conversation to learn more about Carla's journey with a rare bleeding disorder diagnosis and vision for VHF in the organization's exciting new chapter. 

When a Bruise Isn’t Just a Bruise

 By Ann Kendall, HACA Community Member Published January 8th, Journal of Expressive Writing

PROMPT — If only ... My Google alerts chime in daily, but I rarely open each one anymore. We’ve weathered quite a few seasons now, and most of the news delivered in these alerts have more to do with pharmaceutical market share than new treatments or discoveries. 

Rare Disease Day

This year Rare Disease Day will be observed on Thursday, February 29! Did you know there are 300 million people living with a rare disease worldwide? This number includes those with inherited bleeding disorders. Rare Disease Day is a time to raise awareness and help generate change for those with a rare disease.

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National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) hosted the National Research Blueprint (NRB) Summit

NBDF hosted the NRB Summit January 25-27 in Arlington, VA to announce the final draft of the Blueprint. The NRB is defining a comprehensive, collaborative, and community-driven national research strategy that prioritizes patients and caregivers – Lived Experience Experts (LEE).

NBDF Bleeding Disorders Conference (BDC) Travel Grants

Applications are open for the NBDF 2024 BDC Connections for Learning travel grants! NBDF is accepting travel grant applications from January 19 to February 23, 2024. This grant is open to individuals/families with a bleeding disorder.

Study Suggests Patients Preferences Evolving Along with Treatments

In recent years, the arrival of novel hemophilia treatments that are effective and less burdensome to administer have opened up new possibilities for the consumers of these therapies. This begs the question – How might this evolving landscape be impacting treatment preferences for people with hemophilia?  

Ways to Give

Thank you for your support of the Virginia Hemophilia Foundation (VHF). For some popular ways to give back and help us serve the inherited bleeding disorders community in Virginia, go here. If you have other ideas or questions, please contact Kelly Waters, Executive Director, at info@vahemophilia.org. We look forward to working with you!

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