Bobby's Story

Hey guy's I've been so nervous to set this up...and what to write....maybe as it brings back so many emotions, but here goes! I am raising money for The Haemophilia Society who support those with bleeding disorders in the UK.  My 2nd born son Bobby was born in May 2019, after a short stay in hospital the 'standard baby heel pricks' on Bobby's feet continued to bleed for days & days...and at 4 days old he was finally diagnosed with a rare bleeding disorder Haemophilia Type A.  So that is a little bit about how we came about our initial diagnosis, upon reflection I know we were extremely lucky to find out so early....not everyone is as fortunate as us.

So...what is Haemophilia?  I had no idea...if I'm totally honest I hadn't even heard of it, it is a rare condition that affects the bloods ability to clot.  Bobby is classed as severe so he has less than 1% clotting factor in his blood, this essentially means without his injections he will continue to bleed if injured and is susceptible to bleeds into his muscles & joints causing pain and long-term effects/damage to his body.

So...your worst nightmare as a parent right?  Initially we were devastated with the diagnosis having had no family history, it truly was a shock and difficult to digest. We thought Bobby would need to be wrapped in cotton wool, I imagined he would never play with his older brother Sonny or kick a ball around in the garden for risk of injury, and the anxiety of when he started to learn to crawl and walk was crippling!

However this all changed after support & education from The Haemophilia Society and Alder Hey hospital. They gave us the opportunity to attend a 'newly diagnosed weekend' where we met other families in the same position and it gave us the ability to build up a network/community of people affected by bleeding disorders ...along with valuable education & support that made us realise Bobby WILL lead a normal life...OK no boxing or rugby but he will be able to participate in sport...even football if he is lucky... now he is on his new life-changing medication (god bless the NHS)

There is no cure for Haemophilia (yet!) but with the support & education from The Haemophilia Society we have been able to completely change our outlook on our future with Bobby.

So I want to give something back to The Haemophilia Society at a time when fundraising is tough....and with 2 kids at home during lockdown, home schooling etc...I have no spare time to complete 'a challenge' so I am offering the chance to win a free family portrait.  Everyone that donates will be automatically entered into a prize draw  with a chance of winning a family portrait or pet portrait which will be drawn end of Jan/beginning of February (if we haven't managed to hit our target we may extend the date, if I I am lucky enough to exceed the target earlier than then I will expand the target and increase the amount of winners eligible for a free portrait)

You can view examples of the prize/portraits on instagram and facebook @peopledigitalprints and @petdigitalprints 

If you wish to enter the free prize draw please ensure to put your full name when donating 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.