Mighty Sticker Club Welcomes Newest Member
By Mary Ann McCullough, RN, Outreach Nurse
I inducted Will C. into the Mighty Sticker Club on May 6. To become a member, he mastered the steps of self-infusion including mixing factor, selecting a vein, sticking himself, giving himself factor and completing a treatment calendar. Congratulations, Will, your hard work has paid off. Everyone is so proud of you!
Will’s mother thought it would be nice for Will to write his own biography for a school assignment. It is so well written that we are printing excerpts from it here:
Will received recognition into the “Mighty Sticker Club” in May of 2015 at the age of thirteen. He actually accomplished this feat many years ago with great skill. He even sticks his younger brother and was able to assist with the task in 2013, when his parents and older brother, Ross, took a graduation trip. Will and his younger brother, Ben, both have severe hemophilia A and have been part of many studies including PUP studies for Advate. They have used Advate and the HoG pharmacy since infancy.
Several of Will’s hobbies include shooting guns with keen accuracy, hunting squirrels, ducks, and deer, playing the guitar, fishing, and being outdoors. Being an accomplished swimmer, he holds several 1st-3rd state championship titles. His fastest strokes are the 50 and 100 freestyle. He swims for Splash Aquatic Club. He also enjoys playing the guitar in his spare time and plays at church and helps with the vacation bible school band each year.
In the future, Will plans to continue with competitive swimming and hopes to obtain a swimming scholarship to the University of Georgia. He is very dedicated to the sport and feels it is a great opportunity for a person with hemophilia to succeed. He has been homeschooled since kindergarten but plans to attend Parochial School in the fall entering the 8th grade. His favorite subjects are science and history. Will has a very busy summer this year and will be taking a position as a Junior Coach with Splash, bringing up the younger kids in the sport. He encourages young people with hemophilia to be athletic and to be proactive in their own care.