A Touch of Scarlett, our journey with a rare bleeding disorder

I started off this year trying not to talk about family camp much with the kids. After last years anticipation turned into such a fiasco, I didn't want to get their hopes up this year and then have the same thing happen. This was our third year attending the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California's family camp. The first year I went with just Scarlett and we had an amazing time. It was emotional, overwhelming, educational, eye opening and one of the first events I felt truly inspired and welcomed by my local bleeding disorder community. The second year, my son Walker who was 3 got to go. He had been anxiously awaiting getting to go since we returned from the first trip and was heartbroken to get sick, literally on the way to camp. Our weekend was cut short after spending the first 16 hours hauled up in the cabin with the stomach flu. So it wasn't until we were pulling into the now familiar driveway of Taylor Family Foundations Camp Arroyo that I let the exciteme...

Recently I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a relaxing, fun filled weekend with some amazing women from the bleeding disorder community. We laughed, we cried, we shared stories and made friendships and memories that will last a life time. The beach retreat was located in the beautiful Sunny Cove Retreat along a strip of the majestic Santa Cruz coast line. 22 women gathered together for a weekend women's retreat that was filled with meditation, yoga, arts and crafts,  delicious food, and enough educational discussions to nurture our souls for months. Driving to the venue I had no idea what to expect. As I blindly turned the corner onto the street that our retreat was on, I saw the most breath taking view. I pulled up across the street from the house and was over come with joy. To the left was the ocean as far as the eye could see, and to the right the most quant and adorable 1950's beach house retreat. When I walked into the house a c...

This is a blog originally posted at http://www.hemophiliafed.org/news-stories/2016/12/infusing-love-growing-up-so-fast/  that Scarlett and I wrote together for HFA's Infusion Love blog. I'm learning to be safer, watch my step,  and stay out of harms way. Each day a new lesson, on how to exercise and how to play! I might start off feeling intimidated, scared or shy. But please don't let that fool you from thinking that I won't try. I may fall and have bruises, but you do too. So we are no different, me and you. I trust I know my body and can tell if I'm having a bleed. I've been given all the tools, to know if I'm in need. I'm know my arms, legs and face are sometimes black and blue. But it won't ever stop me from trying something new. I love the feel of my new independence, it makes me feel so free. Thank you Mommy for the gift of loving and trusting me. Written by, Kari Peepe ©KariPeepe/atouchofscarlett.bl...