As I write this, it dawns on me that not only has it been over two years since I last posted a blog entry, but February 14, 2015, was the four-year anniversary of the launch of my blog, “InFuzed,” here at HemAware.
First, let me start by saying that I had no intention to abruptly stop blogging. A series of events unfolded that took my life by storm in both good and bad ways. I won’t get into all of those things in great detail now, but I will in upcoming posts. So yes, I’ll be a regular contributor to the HemAware blogger family if you’ll still have me!
In a nutshell, the past two years have been a whirlwind of love, loss, new opportunities, giving back, self-awareness, faith, strength, and fear. Events included the end of my marriage, being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, subsequent treatment, my father’s terminal diagnosis, a new career opportunity, and the wonderful ability to serve the bleeding disorders community.
So rather than get into the many things that transpired over the past few years, I’ll focus on the one event that took up most of my time since I last blogged.
In early 2012, the Hemophilia Center of Western New York in Buffalo, where I lived, hired a new executive director. The treatment center and chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation in western New York are part of the same 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In nearly every other part of the country, treatment centers and chapters are separate organizations. The center, with limited resources, primarily focused on the treatment side of the organization.
Once I met the new executive director, I volunteered my time and experience of working within the bleeding disorders community and with NHF, with the goal of building the chapter up and beginning to offer more community-driven activities, support and education initiatives, versus focusing mainly on the medical side of things. I volunteered for a few months, was then hired as a consultant, then ultimately brought on staff as the associate director overseeing the Chapter Services department of the center.
It was an incredible experience to work with the wonderful members of the bleeding disorders community in western New York. We hosted our first hemophilia walk, I hosted multiple educational sessions to help children and to give their parents advice on living with a bleeding disorder—but most of all, I gave my heart and experience to let them know they weren’t alone and that I understood how they felt, as I live it, too.
After two years, I made the incredibly difficult decision to not only leave my position with the Hemophilia Center of Western New York, but also to leave Buffalo. I am now happily semi-retired in the Tampa, Florida, area and enjoying life immensely. I’ve not completely withdrawn from the bleeding disorders community, having done some consulting work with several organizations that serve our community, but I’m focusing more on “me” time and my health. I’m about to start guitar lessons, yoga classes and a whole slew of activities I never thought I’d be doing.
It’s great to be back! Look for more upcoming posts soon chronicling the incredible, life-changing journey I’ve been on over the past two years. I’ve missed you all!