Please see below for a word from our 2020 Gainesville Clot Trot Committee Champion, Joe Burke.  Click here to register for the 2020  Clot Trot and fundraise for those in the BDFF community when they need it.

Friends of Bleeders,

I was born in a very rural part of Appalachia nestled in a coal mining town of Whitesburg, Kentucky. My father made his livelihood mining coal from the mountains of southeast Kentucky, and in this upbringing, our closest Hemophilia Treatment Center was 3 and a half hours away. Lexington, Kentucky was our closest bleeding disorder chapter, and materials for bleeding disorders in the early 80’s were scarce. My parents made sure to get me to my appointments, and thankfully I never missed a single doctor’s visit. I was never active in my local hemophilia camps or programs growing up because we lived so far away from the events.

I share this brief glimpse of my past to truly showcase what a treasure the Bleeding Disorders Foundation of Florida is. At age 28 I moved to Orlando, Florida from Kentucky to not only seek better healthcare, but to eventually marry the woman of my dreams. During this unsure transition from one state to the other, I reached out to Fran Haynes for some mentoring, guidance and how I could get involved in the chapter’s programs. Now, for the first time in my life in 2009, I could finally get involved in the bleeding disorder community locally, and partner with my local organization.

We’ve come a long way since the uncertainty days of the early 80’s. At a time when I needed to hear sound wisdom for important life decisions that would impact my own healthcare treatments, the BDFF was there to lend the shoulder. A few years ago, I broke my left foot from a fluke accident. Being on disability and unable to afford the rehabilitation boot I needed, the foundation stepped in to assist in getting the care prescribed. And most importantly, when I just needed an ear to share my struggles of coping with my bleeding disorder, the foundation was always there to listen and offer sound advice.

I’m involved with the BDFF because of the huge impact the team and chapter have had on my life. I stand today more educated, more sound in the choices of treatment and more confident as a patient that we are not defined by our disabilities. Through the continued partnership with the team at BDFF, my life and overall mental health are thriving because of the sound wisdom and relationships I’ve established with this organization. The foundation was and continues to be there for me throughout my journey in living with hemophilia. Every penny the foundation gets from it’s fundraisers and charity events goes directly to those who need it most. I can say this with assurance, because I once was on the receiving end of their uncanny generosity.

Join me this December 19th at Depot Park in Gainesville, Florida as we host our Gator Clot Trot. I will be in attendance as this year’s “Chair Champion,” and I can’t wait to meet each of you! Gather your teams, huddle up those groups, and let’s all walk to raise awareness for all bleeding disorders of Greater Florida.

Heartfelt Thanks,
Joe Burke
Clermont, Florida

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT BDFF AND READ THE 2020 SUMMER NEWSLETTER BY CLICKING BELOW.

BDFF_SummerNewsletter2020

Leanne Buchanan, Bleeding Disorders Foundation of Florida (BDFF) Outreach and Education Nurse
Resides: Winter Springs
Hometown: Sanford
Involvement with BDFF: One year

Florida native Leanne Buchanan joined the ranks of the BDFF as Outreach and Education Nurse last August and hit the ground running. New to working with the disease, but with a 30-year career behind her as a practicing nurse, Leanne is thrilled with the chance to help the bleeding disorders community.

“I am loving this opportunity and everyone has been so heart-welcoming to me,” says Leanne, who has resided in Winter Springs for the past 28 years. “In the beginning, I spent several weeks crash-coursing. I feel pretty comfortable that I can answer just about any question.”

Leanne is responsible for half of the Sunshine State, from Ocala south. Missy Zippel, a 40-year plus Foundation mainstay, is responsible for the northern section.

Using Missy as a mentor, Leanne says she has been defining her role since day one. Until the pandemic, she visited patient homes and school districts where she offered training on bleeding disorders.

“Being a nurse in the school district I can say we didn’t know much about bleeding disorders,” she notes. “Hemophilia and bleeding disorders are so specific it makes it difficult, so my mission is to visit all school districts for training. I have been very well received by schools. They are thrilled to have me visit.”

Once on campus, Leanne’s first priority to make sure the kids that need help the most are getting what they need. She trains physical education coaches, nurses and teachers what to look for and how to treat the disorders. She utilized her past knowledge and data as a school nurse to first visit the schools that she knew had the largest number of bleeding disorder students.

Leanne also visits Hemophilia Treatment Centers around the state to introduce the Foundation to people and to try and help them in any way she can.

“I was talking to a mom at Arnold Palmer Hospital who said her child was being turned down by day care because of a bleeding disorder. I told her I would talk to them. She said, ‘You will?’ I will do whatever it takes to make these kids’ lives easier.”

Spreading the word about the work and offerings of the Foundation is another project on her plate. Leanne sent postcards to hematology and oncology offices throughout Central Florida—including Tampa and Clearwater—introducing herself, asking if they had any needs the Foundation could fulfill.

“We need to make sure everybody knows who we are,” she says. “I am surprised how many do not.”

A public health nurse since 1986 spanning a variety of different capacities, Leanne came to the Foundation from the Seminole County School district.

And although she admits to having an affinity toward Italy where she has visited several times, the Sanford-born Leanne loves calling Florida home.

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else besides here.”

People in the bleeding disorders community face many challenges, not least of which is dealing with the financial burden of outrageous copays and out-of-pocket expenses. For one Severe Factor 8 patient in Orlando, dealing with this burden has not come easy. Here he shares his anonymous story:

“The medication that I take finally works for me after five years of changing products and incurring multiple bleeds, stress, crawling to the bathroom because I cannot walk, and infusing sometimes twice a day for several days in a row to get a bleed under control.

I have had to send in an infusion log to justify getting my NORMAL prophylactic medications. My insurance company requires this for a prior authorization two times per year for medication that I have taken since I was two days old.

Unless I have a bleed, my insurance company will no longer ship my as-needed doses for bleeds. They send me 3 doses for bleeding episodes; if I have not had any documented bleeds they will not send the as-needed doses for bleeding the next month. Do they not understand that, God forbid I have an emergency, I will need as much factor as I can get if I’m injured? This puts me at serious risk.

Why do my copays and prescription copays not count towards my Out-Of-Pocket (OOP) expenses?

My OOP expenses per member is $7,500 and total OOP max is $15,000. I paid $15,000 OOP in 2019 for my medical bills on top of paying $22,000 in 2019 for my insurance premiums; I am self-employed and own my business. My business partner and I paid over $44,000 in total for our health plan in 2019. This does not include the OOP for my pharmacy co-pays which topped $5,000 in 2019.

This is a financial burden for me and for my family. We had to put many of those expenses on credit cards with interest rates of 22% and higher, further exasperating the financial burden that we face. This will not change in 2020; now that I am forced to work from home, I still have to pay for health plan, copays for my medication, credit card bills and medical bills that we are on a payment plan for from last year.

On top of these expenses, I incur a gym membership for $32 per month to try to stay healthy and in shape. I eat healthy which costs more. So it’s much more than just the healthcare premiums. We take control of our health, exercise, and eat healthy which is more expensive than eating processed and canned foods.

This is a problem.”

A big part of the problem is copay accumulators. These are health insurance policies that prevent any copay assistance from counting towards any copay deductibles or out-of-pocket limits. That means that patients are left with the burden of paying copays and out-of-pocket expenses from the prescription in full.  Sometimes they don’t even realize this until it’s time for a procedure.   Meanwhile, the insurance company gets paid twice – once from the copay assistance and once from the patient. Bills have been introduced at the legislative level to try and ban copay accumulators, but they haven’t moved far.

Your voice matters in helping these issues come into the spotlight so that patients like our patient above don’t have to suffer through financial uncertainty. Contact [email protected] to learn how you can get involved in helping this issue get pushed through the 2021 legislative session.

Click below for the Spring 2020 issue of BDFF Connections

Click below to read the April – June 2020 issue of UM HTC’s The X-File

My name is Genesis Erickson and I was selected to be a member of the National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI). This is a program at the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF)  for 18-24 year olds in the bleeding disorders community. The program provides us leadership opportunities to encourage personal growth, learn how to effect change, and positively influence others. I am excited to learn and share experiences of living with a bleeding disorder while learning how to become a distinguished leader. 

This past January, I had the opportunity to attend the NYLI First year leadership training in New York City. At this event, I met the other 8 people in my cohort who come from all over the country. We had public speaking workshops, met with each department of NHF, and worked on self-development as well as emotional intelligence. It was a wonderful introduction to the program and I am so excited to continue and see where NYLI leads me.

The next month, I was on a plane to our nation’s capital for Washington Days! Here I got to tell my personal story of living with a bleeding disorder to our elected representatives. I was so happy to stand beside other people in the Florida bleeding disorders community as we advocated for a continuation of funding to our HTCs and for access to skilled nursing facilities for people with bleeding disorders. After the day on the hill, NYLI members learned all about intersectionality and then provided recommendations to the NHF on how we celebrate diversity in the bleeding disorders community and include people of all different backgrounds. 

In the future, I will learn how to facilitate workshops and use those skills to deliver workshops to kids and teens all over the country. We will be a part of NHF’s annual bleeding disorders conference each year. I will also work closely with BDFF throughout my time in NYLI and after. I encourage any young adults who have an interest in becoming a change maker, especially within the bleeding disorders community, to apply to this program in the future. I am excited to serve our community in the years to come!