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The Utah Hemophilia Foundation serves people with bleeding disorders. Through education, advocacy, outreach and networking, the UHF empowers individuals and families to live healthier and more self-sufficient lives. The Utah Hemophilia Foundation is comprised of four key groups: The Bleeding Disorders Community, UHF as a Chapter, Hemophilia Treatment Center, Industry.
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Camp Valor
Among the many programs the Utah Hemophilia Foundation provides is a summer camp, Camp Valor, for children with bleeding disorders (ages 8-13).
The mother of a young son with hemophilia related that, for years, her son had been too afraid to do self-infusions (injections of factor into a vein that would help his blood coagulate properly). The mother and son often ended up in emergency rooms and urgent care clinics for these infusions, because she, too, was afraid of the involved process.
However, The Utah Hemophilia Foundation was able to encourage her to have her son attend Camp Valor. At camp, there were a lot of fun activities in conjunction with the main focus of camp, which is learning self-care and self-infusion. If this life saving technique is not mastered, an individual is resigned to continually relying on expensive Emergency Room care. However, while at camp, this boy not only learned how to do self-infusions, he met kids, like himself, who are thriving while living with hemophilia. It was good for him to see so many young people doing their own infusions.
A few months after camp, he was having a bleed that needed immediate attention. The mom was ready to drive to the closest urgent care clinic but her son insisted on doing a self-infusion. He did a great job and got his vein on the first jab. The mom shared with the UHF just how proud she was of him and his new-found self-confidence. She acknowledged the vital role that Camp Valor played in helping him become more independent in managing his bleeding disorder.
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