Young hemophiliac suffers another bleed
Last month News Five received a number of calls and emails about a story on a family’s battle with hemophilia, a genetic disorder that affects the blood’s ability to clot. Last week, Francisca Bardalez and her two sons, who are both deficient in a critical factor in their blood, came to our attention again after she had to fly her son Ritchie from Punta Gorda to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment. Yet even while dealing with this latest trauma, Francisca Bardalez was as adamant as ever about the need for an association to help not only her two boys, but other hemophiliacs in Belize.
Ten year old Ritchie Bardalez has been wearing a splint on his right leg for the past five days. Two weeks ago, the young hemophiliac suffered an ankle bleed and while trying to rest the injured foot on the other leg, suffered bleeding behind his right knee muscle. According to his mother Francisca Bardalez, because the medication that her son needs to stay alive is so costly, running into thousands of dollars, she attempted to use another remedy to conserve the last two amounts of some donated Factor Nine, the agent Ritchie’s blood needs to clot properly.
Francisca Bardalez, Mother
“So I then decided to use cold soaks instead of the factor, to keep the factor for another emergency and I used the cold soaks and it didn’t work; this happened on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday evening he was worse. The bleed was worse, so by delaying the treatment, I complicated the matter and because of now resolving the problem we have to use factor everyday to get him better so he can use the leg again.”
Bardalez says such complications are only one more reason why Belize needs a Hemophiliac Society. When we last spoke with her, she was desperately trying to form a society so families would have access to life saving treatments and expensive medications through their membership in the international organization, LIGHT.
Francisca Bardalez
“This is all the reason why we want to speed up the process of organizing the society and try to get some help especially in getting some treatment for Ritchie and Brian because it’s difficult to make decisions when you have only two factors. You want to save it, on the other hand, you create other problems by not using the treatment.”
According to Dr. Andre Sosa, an orthopedic surgeon at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, if you do not have finances and available resources, life can be difficult for Hemophiliac patients.
Dr. Andre Sosa, Orthopedic Surgeon
“If you don’t have the resources, it’s extremely difficult. I would say next to impossible and without the availability of Factor a lot of these patients could be condemned to dire circumstances. There are different episodes that they can be exposed to and they can range from a simple bleeding of the muscle to the gums bleeding within articulation of the joints.”
Sosa, who is treating Ritchie Bardalez at K.H.M.H. this week, returned home in December after graduating from medical school in Guatemala. The surgeon did gain some experience in treating Hemophiliac patients and when he heard about the Bardalez’ plight was only too happy to render his service. Today, Ritchie is recovering from his injury and looks forward to going back to school.
Dr. Andre Sosa
“Fortunately after five days with Factor, and mobilization his, the episode seem to have receded. We can say that now because he can almost fully extend the knee whereas, in previous days it was quite painful for him to do this.”
But as long as Belize remains without a Hemophiliac society, patients like little Ritchie will continue to suffer and maybe one day… even die.
If you would like to assist the Bardalez family in their quest please call 71238 or 32647 in Belize City. In Punta Gorda you can reach Francisca Bardalez at 07-22932.
