Medical Minute with Dr. Rob Gillio World Hemophilia Day: One Small Planet, One Shared Future

World Hemophilia Day

Hi, I’m Dr. Rob. Dr. Rob Gillio, the Chief Medical Officer of the Force for Health. And today, April 17th is World Hemophilia Day. It’s 2025. It is a time any year or any day to raise awareness about bleeding disorders and support those that live with them every day.

Imagine it. Hemophilia is a genetic condition where the blood doesn’t clot properly. Even small injuries or bumps or bruises, uh, lead to serious internal bleeding. Or they can, it would manifest with things like joint pain, bleeds from huge bruises in a muscle or frequent bruising under the skin, especially on the hands or arms that get bumped once in a while. It can affect daily life, especially without treatment. Thanks to advances in medicine, people with he hemophilia can now live long active lives, but around the world, millions lack access to care and treatment can be expensive.

Even here in the us let’s do our part. Support research. Give a donation. This a big one. Donate blood or plasma. It’s not as hard as you think, and it’s unbelievable the benefit it has. I don’t have hemophilia, but I had recent surgery and that blood donation made me feel from sleepy and weak to able to get up and work with therapy and get my exercise. I can only imagine what it feels like as a hemophiliac to get some platelets or other clotting factors from the blood that help the blood clot and there be less bruises and raise your voice for equity in care. I don’t mean DIEI mean just another person needs help.

You can help them with your donation, with your blood, don, with your cash donation, your blood donation, or affecting who you vote for and the policies they put into place together.

Let’s make sure no one bleeds alone and no one who has to bleed, who doesn’t need to. It’s expensive now, but over time the medications and, uh, new discoveries will come down in price. But let’s be aware of World Hemophilia Day today and let’s learn a little bit more about this disease and let’s learn what we can do.

Search out what you can do to help. Why don’t you start right now by, uh, going to the Red Cross and making blood donation. Your blood can be separated into red cells, platelets, plasma clotting factors.

It’s kind of miraculous what you can do as an informed member of the Force for Health. Take action and you will be a real force for health.

Thank you.