HFA symposium

Here I am with 2 more important people in my marathon quest. Angie Forsyth, my hemophilia PT, and Rich Pezzillo, my blood brother and 1st hemophiliac, that I am aware of, to run a marathon... Does that make me the 1st FEMALE hemophiliac to run 26.2 miles? As far as I know... it does! 

Rich spoke at an inhibitor conference a couple years ago about his experience running a marathon as a hemophiliac. I did not know him personally at the time, and while he was speaking I was thinking he was completely insane... Little did I know that eventually my mind would be changed.  After getting to know him on the Gears for Good bike ride last fall, I realized he is more like me than I thought, just exercising to be a healthier hemophiliac. I began to wonder... Is it possible for a person with a target knee joint, such as myself, to run 26.2 miles??? Well, the more I exercise and gain muscle strength around my knees, the more comfortable I feel with the idea that I am able to complete such a task. 

With all the bleeds I have had in my right knee, I had once felt a great deal of "crackling" when I would move it certain ways, such as squatting, or bending down to pick up something from the floor... All you hemos with target joints know what I am talking about. After these past couple years of exercising, that "crackling" feeling has almost completely disappeared!!  I believe that in doing the right kinds of strength training and total body work outs that my team of professionals have helped me with, my knee has actually IMPROVED instead of DEGENERATING!!!