My name is Evelyn Grimberg from the Netherlands and I’m 30 years old. I have the rare bleeding disorder Glanzmann’s Thrombastenia. I have been diagnosed with 4 months. Just as many people with a bleeding disorder I have to deal with nose bleeds, bleeds of the gum, heavily bruising and problems with having my period.
Especially during my puberty I have had a lot of problems with heavily bleeding during my period with blood transfusions as result. Also the hormones were very heavy for my body and didn’t work enough to get it stable. Since the age of 16 I’m in the menopause by medication and have no period anymore.
Since the age of 17 I’m an volunteer at the Dutch Hemophilia Society. My visit to the WFH congress in Istanbul 2008 makes me realize that there is a lot to do to get more knowledge about rare bleeding disorders and women with bleeding disorders. Men and women are different in bleeding symptoms and social emotional. But also the environment deals different. When a men has a bruise he was in a fight what makes him cool. A women with bruises get abused.
I’m happy to see there is more and more attention. And thank you WFH for the theme ‘hear their’voices. We need to know so much more about the problems women has to deal with.