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Combatting anemia through education and peer-to-peer support

An article I did for Hemophilia Federation of America's Dateline that talks about the HFNC's women retreat that we went to.















Originally published in HFA's Dateline 2016/Fall issue http://hemophiliafed.org/dateline/HFA_Dateline_2016_Q3_Fall/#p=24

Diet and nutrition has always been a huge part of my life. But it wasn’t until becoming severely anemic after the delivery of both my children did I really start paying attention to the balance of certain vitamins and nutrients in my daily diet. Fast forward a few years later to my daughter whom has a platelet storage pool disorder becoming a self pro-claimed vegetarian and I was quickly learning how to integrate the correct iron, proteins and vitamins into her diet that were necessary to keep her growing at the healthy rate of her peers. This has proved to be more than difficult and something I’m always researching and hoping to learn more about. 
So through all this a vision was born . . . and a mini-Girls Getaway that I will never forget. While brainstorming ideas for a local Female Factor event, I remembered back to all the talks I’d had with others affected by bleeding disorders and their diet. Foods they noticed helped with bleeding and bruising . . . foods they noticed seemed to make it worse. Vitamins their Dr’s insisted they take and the list of things the Dr’s were saying they should avoid. And of course, how many of them were suffering from a lack of iron and other vitamins and nutrients in their diet. And in just a few short conversations with Ashley and some hunting for the perfect spot . . . Female Factor was able to create a Girls Getaway for the women bleeders in our community that focused on how to eat healthy. We planned a camp over night filled with education on women’s health, exercise, well-being and most importantly Combatting Anemia.
The mid-summer weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. The retreat was nestled amongst the rolling hills of Marin County just miles inland from the majestic Northern California Coast. By the time I pulled into our paradise in the woods, the coastal fog was clearing and the sun was peering through. I was the last to arrive and was pleasantly surprised to walk into a room already filled with laughter and familiar faces sprawled comfortably amongst their surroundings. 
The Outdoor Retreat was set up much like the family camps most of us remember as kids. Quaint, rustic, woodsy cabins with names of local wildlife, surrounded by hours of outdoor adventures. There were Basketball courts, Arts-N-Crafts rooms, fire pits, hiking grounds, picnic areas, and a food hall. . . . just to name a few. It had everything we needed for a tranquil mini-vacation amongst friends. 
After quick introductions and unpacking we headed down to the food hall for lunch. We were like kids at summer camp as we talked our way through slices of vegetarian pizza, salad, and soup. After our belly’s were full we set off for a beautiful hike. We shared our stories, took in the views all while walking and collecting items from nature we could later use to decorate our table and participate in a craft project.  
By the time we returned it was time for the highlight of the day, the nutritionist would be coming to discuss Combating Anemia while leading us in a cooking demonstration where we would be making our dinner for the evening. This truly turned out to be an amazing experience and one I know I’ll never forget.  Jen spoke to us about the importance of a healthy well balanced diet, that’s easily containable and tastes delicious. After her presentation the 12 of us split up into groups of two, eager to prepare these delicious recipes that were being introduced to us. The smell of ginger, cilantro, coconut and mint filled the kitchen. A little over an hour and a half later and we were sitting down to enjoy some amazingly exquisite dishes that we had completely prepared on our own. 
We finalized our night with a warm, toasty talk by the campfire. As soon as the sun started to go down we headed over with our blankets, flashlights, and glow bracelets for a night of star gazing, story telling and everlasting bonding. We roasted marshmallows, took in the wildlife and talked about everything under the sun. The level of comfort and understanding amongst these group of women is something I can’t put into words. They understand my truths and who and why I am, more than people that have known me my whole life. 

The next morning came too quick and it was already time to say goodbye. We headed down to the food hall one last time for breakfast and then slowly everyone started to get ready to head our separate ways. We gathered one last time for an art project and then our perfect Girls Getaway had to come to an end. 

I’m so grateful for events like these and always walk away from them feeling energized, empowered and ready to take on the world. I’m anxiously waiting the next time I get to hang with my Female Factor ladies and count my blessings everyday that they are in my life. After returning from camp I sat down with my now 8 year old daughter whom was eager to hear about the weekend and we discussed all I had learned. We also talked about some information I had shared during the weekend about high protein-high iron foods. She was willing to try some of the new food items and some of them have even turned into her favorites. 
                           Written by,
Kari Peepe
©KariPeepe/atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
http://atouchofscarlett.blogspot.com
pspdaware@gmail.com
www.pspdaware.com

For more stories about Bleeding Disorder Events I've attended please check out . . .

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