My youngest son was hospitalized earlier this week. He is having another break thru bleed in his right knee. The complications that he deals with are painful and seem to never let up. There is no down time in our world when it comes to internal bleeding. Bleeds happen often and without warning. Each episode is unique unto itself and comes with its own share of physical and emotional issues.
Despite the hospitalization of my youngest son, this week I had several meetings scheduled with members of the hemophilia community. I had been asked to motivate people to take part in a first annual Walkathon for the Sangre De Oro Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation. (I will be posting how to participate in our Walkathon in a separate entry on my Facebook page).
As I was preparing what I would say, I was overwhelmed with the question, “Why do I participate in this community?” I do it primarily to stay informed on the latest treatments and programs related to hemophilia. Knowledge is power. The more I know the better I can treat my sons disorders.
Another reason I participate in the Sangre De Oro Chapter is because I remember what it was like to have a newly diagnosed son with hemophilia. I lived in Houston (a town of approximately 4 million people) and had never met anyone, to my knowledge, who had a bleeding disorder. I felt alone and completely lost. My emptiness was transformed into something I could never have imagined by a simple phone call. It was the voice of another parent who reached out to my family. Her child had hemophilia and assured my wife and I that we would be fine. Our son would live a good life.
I was then invited to participate in the Houston area chapter of the bleeding disorders community and began helping out by working events. With every project I learned more about my son, about hemophilia and I even learned about myself. My goal was to ensure that no one needed to feel alone again. I serve the community to help empower families who feel alone. I want others to experience the message of hope. I want people to know that they are not alone, and there is a community that longs to embrace everyone who struggles with bleeding disorders. We want to journey together.
My message of service is so intertwined with my faith. Our source of strength comes from the Divine promise that we are not alone. We are called to be much more than we can be as a single entity. Christ calls us into fellowship with one another. At the center of our faith community we discover this message of hope and Good News. At the core of our fellowship, we find the Gospel of Hope.
From a Pastor's Point of View 