WHD-2023-collage
Clockwise, from top left: Tasman Bridge (Australia), Concello de Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Newfoundland (Canada), Kumamoto Castle (Japan), Cairo (Egypt), Olympic Cauldron, Vancouver (Canada), Palacio de Gobierno del Estado de Tabasco (Mexico).

Successful World Hemophilia Day 2023 touches thousands

April 17, 2023 was World Hemophilia Day, and all around the world, thousands of people came together around the theme of “Access for All: Prevention of bleeds as the global standard of care”. Events were held in dozens of countries—many of them in-person for the first time since the before the COVID-19 pandemic. Buildings and monuments were lit up in red, people celebrated in groups small and large, and the internet was buzzing with excitement as this important day for the global bleeding disorders community was celebrated once again.

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Every year, the community demonstrates inspiring solidarity on World Hemophilia Day. From the WFH perspective, we were impressed by the courage and strength that were present in full force in the many stories that were shared on our World Hemophilia Day story site. Here are quotes from two stories that we felt stood out.

“Growing up was challenging, as I had to constantly worry about when my next bleed was going to occur… Thanks to the advancement of treatment and care in Malaysia, I benefited from prophylaxis treatment from age 22 onwards which significantly reduced my bleeding episodes, and now I am able to lead a healthy and an active lifestyle.”
—Hazri Aris, Malaysia

“…I live each day positively and with the courage to face the uncertainties and complications caused by hemophilia and my co-infection. I have seen life as not as simple as others have; the challenges I faced have given me the resolve to not only help myself but also others.”
—Masood Fareed Malik, Pakistan

“I am the third generation with [von Willebrand disease], I always thought it was normal to have anemia and heavy bleeding during my period… [but now I realize] that there are [medical] options for people with my condition. I thank everyone who has helped me on this path… and who taught me that it is possible to have a good quality of life despite the bleeding.”
—Génesis Cedeño, Venezuela

It was heartening to see how the World Hemophilia Day theme and resources were adapted to reflect the conversations happening around access to care in different communities around the world. Our website—where the community was able to access advocacy and celebratory resources available in English, French, and Spanish—had over 24,000 visits. Our social media posts were viewed over 22,000 times. All of this is proof of how engaged our community is as a family.

On behalf of the WFH and everyone in the bleeding disorders community, thank you for your support on World Hemophilia Day. To learn more about this important event for the bleeding disorders community, please click here.

The WFH would like to thank our 2023 World Hemophilia Day sponsors for their continued support: Bayer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Biotest, CSL Behring, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Freeline Therapeutics, GC Pharma, Grifols, Kedrion, LFB S.A, Novo Nordisk, Octapharma, Pfizer, Sanofi, Sobi, Spark Therapeutics, and Takeda.

We’ve accomplished a lot this year, we need your help to continue strong.

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Disclaimer

The information on the WFH website is provided for general information purposes only. The WFH does not engage in the practice of medicine and under no circumstances recommends particular treatment for specific individuals. For diagnosis or consultation on a specific medical problem, the WFH recommends that you contact your physician or local treatment centre. Before administering any products, the WFH urges patients to check dosages with a physician or hemophilia centre staff, and to consult the pharmaceutical company’s printed instructions.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, the WFH does not guarantee the information is accurate, and is not responsible in any way whatsoever for damages arising out of the use of this website or any of the information contained herein.

Messages posted to WFH discussion forums, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms do not represent the opinions of the World Federation of Hemophilia, its staff, or Board of Directors. The author of a message is solely responsibility for its content. Information posted on WFH social networks and platforms should never be a substitute for individualized professional medical advice, even when the author has medical qualifications or is considered an authority. Information posted to a discussion group should not be used to diagnose or treat a specific health problem without consulting a qualified healthcare professional. The WFH recommends that you contact your physician or local treatment centre if you have any individual questions or concerns.

References and links to other websites or references to other organizations, products, services, or publications do not constitute endorsement or approval by the WFH. The WFH is not responsible and assumes no liability for the content of any linked websites.

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The WFH has been made aware of various correspondences—circulated via e-mail and telephone—coming from individuals impersonating WFH staff or falsely stating that they are associated with the WFH. These correspondences, which may seek to obtain money using the name of someone affiliated with the WFH, are fraudulent and come from outside of our organization.

If you receive a suspicious solicitation, exercise extreme caution. In the case of an email, look at the email address to see if it looks suspicious (for example, all WFH emails come from @wfh.org).

We are asking you to remain vigilant, and if you have any doubts about the correspondence, please forward the email to the WFH at [email protected] or call +1 514-875-7944.