The WFH Marks World Hemophilia Day with a Global Online Family Tree to Build Awareness About the Bleeding Disorders' Global Support Network

WFH Pays Tribute to the Value of Collaborative Care in Supporting the Global Bleeding Disorders Community for World Hemophilia Day (Friday, April 17)

News provided by

World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH)

Apr 14, 2015, 10:00 ET

MONTREAL, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year on April 17, World Hemophilia Day is observed around the world to increase awareness about hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. This year, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) encourages the global bleeding disorders community to "Build a Family of Support" by celebrating the many people who help and advocate for those living with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

World Hemophilia Day April 17 (www.worldhemophiliaday.org)

"Families come in many forms, but they all share the ability to support and advocate," said Alain Weill, WFH president. "We all work together in the fight to raise awareness and improve care, which is why we're inviting the public to acknowledge and celebrate all the people who make up the care teams helping to advance the diagnosis and standards of treatment for those in need."

In honor of this year's World Hemophilia Day, the WFH launched a Global Family Tree online at www.worldhemophiliaday.org, where the bleeding disorders community can post comments about the importance of their support networks. From the site, as well as from their Facebook and Twitter pages, users can tell stories and post photos of people who help to make their lives better or about people living with bleeding disorders who have positively impacted them.

A significant amount of care, support and advocacy is done for these individuals through extended families, which come in many forms, including medical teams, friends and colleagues, as well as relatives. These support networks share in the ability to come together as a community to help improve people's lives.

"World Hemophilia Day provides the bleeding disorders community an opportunity to talk to their extended families, friends, colleagues and caregivers as a way to raise awareness and increase support for those living with an inherited bleeding disorder," Weill said. "We want to encourage an open discussion that brings awareness to these communities and beyond."

WFH invites the bleeding disorders community to unite and show global support by participating in the following activities on April 17:

Post a comment, photo or video about the importance of their support networks to WFH's Facebook page: facebook.com/wfhemophilia,
Tweet or retweet messages about their support networks' using WFH's Twitter handle: @WFHemophilia,
Illuminate homes, offices and front porches with a red light to show commitment to the cause and to raise awareness, and
Reach out to hemophilia and bleeding disorder organizations to learn about what they're doing in local communities around the world to celebrate and recognize World Hemophilia Day.

To learn more about hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders, the WFH online Global Family Tree or other World Hemophilia Day activities, please visit World Hemophilia Day and the World Federation of Hemophilia online, where you can find additional support materials and informational resources.

These important World Hemophilia Day initiatives would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors Baxter, Bayer, Biogen, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Precision BioLogic, and Sobi.

About hemophilia and other bleeding disorders
Hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, inherited platelet disorders, and other factor deficiencies are lifelong bleeding disorders that prevent blood from clotting properly. People with bleeding disorders do not have enough of a particular clotting factor, a protein in blood that controls bleeding, or else it does not work properly. The severity of a person's bleeding disorder usually depends on the amount of clotting factor that is missing or not functioning. People with hemophilia can experience uncontrolled bleeding that can result from a seemingly minor injury. Bleeding into joints and muscles causes severe pain and disability while bleeding into major organs, such as the brain, can cause death.

About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For more than 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, has worked to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it is a global network of patient organizations in 127 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization. Visit WFH online at www.wfh.org.

About World Hemophilia Day
Created and championed by the WFH, World Hemophilia Day is in its 26th year of bringing awareness to the global bleeding disorders community and beyond. Established in 1989, World Hemophilia Day was created in honor of WFH founder Frank Schnabel's birthday.