A Rare Gift for Children with Hemophilia

“For one week of the year the children can play sports, go swimming or even try a zip line without worry about serious injury. It gives them back their childhood.”
Adriana HendersonAmador, 11, arrived at Camp Ray of Hope in Romania with his brother, 12-year-old Andrei. The boys, fatherless and abandoned by their mother, both suffer from hemophilia, a rare, genetic disorder that prevents blood from clotting. They are cared for by their grandmother, who cannot afford hemophilia treatment—making even simple childhood play too risky for the brothers.At the weeklong camp, Amador and Andrei received blood clotting medicines donated by AmeriCares partner, Grifols, and finally got to experience the joy of running and swimming with friends. After only a few days of treatment, Amador, who arrived on crutches, was able to walk alone.Grifols donated most of the therapies needed for Camp Ray of Hope to host 40 children in late-August, 2013. The camp, a program of Wake Forest-based S.T.A.R Children’s Relief Fund, gives children with hemophilia the opportunity to engage in physical activities that are too dangerous the rest of the year. “For one week of the year the children can play sports, go swimming or even try a zip line without worry about serious injury,” said S.T.A.R. Children Relief Founder and President Adriana Henderson. “It gives them back their childhood.”The camp, a program of Wake Forest-based S.T.A.R Children’s Relief Fund, gives children with hemophilia the opportunity to engage in physical activities that are too dangerous the rest of the year.The brothers enjoyed the camp so much that they did not want to go home. During their stay, Andrei was overheard warning his brother Amador to behave so that they would be invited back next year.If hemophilia is left untreated, even a simple cut from a fall can lead to a serious medical emergency. In Romania, treatments are expensive and difficult to access, leaving children like Amador and Andrei in constant risk. While there is no cure for the disease, hemophilia can be managed through regular administration of the blood-clotting medicines, Factor VIII and Factor IX.AmeriCares has been delivering Factor VIII and Factor IX to the camp for years, to give children like Amador and Andrei a gift that every child deserves: the freedom to play a game, run, dance, swim and more—without fear. Donate Now