Hemophilia affects 1 in 5,000 people. The condition is a galaxy of inherited bleeding disorders that represent breakdowns in the blood's intricate clotting processes, resulting in poor clot formation and excessive bleeding. Approximately 13,500 people in the United States have been diagnosed. Among them is Nicolas Leon, who has lived with a Hemophilia "A" disorder for all of his young life.

Although he was born with the disorder, Nicolas, now 18, was first diagnosed when he was 12 years old. Since that time, Nicolas has come a long way, both in terms of distance as well as learning to live a full life despite the disorder. Nicolas, a native of Port au Prince Haiti, had been a very active sports enthusiast in his native country. He came to the United States to explore greater opportunities and settled in Cambridge, where he has been receiving treatment for his disorder at The Cambridge Hospital.

Today, Nicolas remains actively engaged in sports and at work, but must be very careful. Hemophilia, which causes the body to bleed spontaneously, requires routine treatment in the form of blood transfusions through the hospital's outpatient department and occasionally through the Emergency Department. Sometimes Nicolas must receive blood as often as once a month. The American Red Cross supplies plasma from which the clotting factors that Nicolas needs (in this case Factor VIII) are produced for transfusions.

With the help of a hematologist (a doctor who specializes in treating diseases of the blood) at the hospital and the American Red Cross, Nicolas is able to stay on the go and to manage the pain that is inevitably associated with the disorder.

"Since Biblical times, when the disorder was first noted, medical knowledge and treatment of the disorder has advanced greatly," said Nicolas.

The bleeding, which Nicolas describes as being very painful, can be accompanied by high fevers and acute discomfort. With the help of transfusions the hospital’s transfusion services provides through the American Red Cross, Nicolas has learned to recognize when to seek treatment. With the excellent care he receives, he continues to have the resolve not to let his condition keep him from leading a full and engaged life.

Every two seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion. "I have been receiving treatment and transfusions since I was 15 years old, and I feel blessed that so many good people care enough to give blood," says Nicolas.

Learning to live with Hemophilia has its rewards. Nicolas' experience with the Red Cross, and a very caring physician, has led Nicolas to seriously consider applying to Medical School in the very near future. He looks forward to, one day, becoming a Hematologist so that he "can help others learn to successfully live with Hemophilia."

Red Cross blood donors help patients just like Nicolas in cities and towns throughout New England and across the United States. Please….give blood. Together, we can save a life.

Patient Stories