The 2022 Step Out for Bleeding Disorders Walk was a big success!

Thank you to all of the sponsors, exhibitors, donors and volunteers – and a huge shout out to the 106 people that signed up to Walk with us on Sunday.

It was an absolutely perfect Minnesota summer day, with blue skies and a beautiful setting at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul.

The annual walk is HFMD’s big fundraising event of the year, and it did not disappoint.

We raised $43,000 in sponsorships and exhibitor fees. Donations and registrations for the Walk came in at over $9500.

Prizes were awarded to the three Team Captains raising the most in donations. The top teams were Team James (captain – Kris Rauenhorst) in 1^st place; Team Carson (captain – Angie Klersy) in 2^nd place; and Hit Me With Your Best Clot (captain – Kathleen Kubitschek) in 3^rd place.

The Walk had a lot of fun elements this year. We had mascots Goldy Gopher, Mudonna from the St. Paul Saints and Twinkle from Children’s MN. We also had Sir Skolt representing the MN Vikings and Mark Dreyer in his full firefighter’s gear. This added a lot of energy to the event.

Mandana the Balloon Artist was a hit, with colorful balloon towers at the starting line and balloon twisting for the kids inside the pavilion.

Exhibit space was sold out, with a full house of our amazing industry representatives in pharmacy and home and health care, as well as providers from the local Hemophilia Treatment Centers.

Volunteers from M Health Fairview served up Firehouse subs and chips, granola bars and bottled water to the hungry crowd. We had other volunteers helping with t-shirts, registration and directional assistance.

There were also inspirational speakers, including some young adults that impressed the audience with their enthusiasm and heartwarming stories of friendship and living with bleeding disorders.

We appreciate the support of each and every one of you that contributed in any way. We couldn’t do it without you.

HFMD Summer Camp 2022

We had a great time at the HFMD Summer camp in June, and enjoyed spending time with our campers from all over MN, ND, SD, and IA! For the first time, Camp was held at YMCA Camp Iduhapi in Loretto, MN. Located on a beautiful acreage, Camp is surrounded by forest and prairie, nestled on the shore of the aptly named Lake Independence. Through a combination of programming, fun activities, and charismatic staff, Iduhapi strives to foster character development, skill building and life-long friendships within their campers. What a great setting to learn more about bleeding disorders, develop self-care skills, and find community! Truly, nothing can beat the bonds and memories that develop at summer camp, and it is a joy to reminisce about it. So, what did we do?

We had fun. Each day campers participated in team building games and activities with their cabins in the morning, and then selected from a wide range of activities in the afternoon. Some favorites included horseback riding, the climbing wall, gaga ball, sports, and arts and crafts. With record breaking hot temperatures, swimming in Lake Independence was also popular! Campers enjoyed jumping off the dock, swimming, floating, and playing ball on the waterfront.

We learned. There were daily opportunities to work with HTC clinical staff on skills such as Sub-Q injections using HEMLIBRA practice kits, and self-infusing. Many participated in an education initiative to learn more about their bleeding disorder, earning cool wrist bands for completion of four series of trivia questions and skill demonstrations. Dawn Rusk of Mayo Clinic also led a great girl’s focused group one afternoon.

We inspired. Each day, older campers could be found in the health center during prophy time, supporting younger campers through demonstrations, encouragement, and sharing words of wisdom. Continuing a favorite tradition, we recognized the huge milestone of attempting an IV stick for the first time with The Big Stick, campers clapping and cheering one another on. Positive energy and inspiring the next steps to independence was evident in the health center.

We found identity. It is the people who make camp special, and we had a great turnout this year- a combination of first-time campers with those who have attended for many seasons. To recognize this week of camp and the many years to come, we had the goal of determining an official camp name! Campers and staff helped to generate, submit, and vote on names…. and during closing campfire, the voting results were revealed. We are officially Camp Not-A-Clot!! A name that is fun, catchy and inclusive of the multiple bleeding disorder diagnoses that we see.

A huge thank you to our campers and staff from Children’s MN, Mayo Clinic, M Health Fairview, Sanford Health ND, and Sanford Health SD for making it a great week. We are already looking forward to Camp Not-A-Clot 2023! – By Becca Shaheen

On August 28th, the HFMD teamed up with the Wingmen Foundation to host the Inspiring Shots Golf Clinic for members of the bleeding community.  This was a free event for people with bleeding disorders and attendees had the opportunity to meet and learn from pro golfer Perry Parker.

The South Dakota Family Fun and Education Event was held on Saturday, July 31st this year.  The event was hosted by HFMD and Sanford Health SD Center for Bleeding disorders at Thunder Road Family Fun Park and featured keynote speaker Brock Seafeldt.

Due to the current COVID guidelines, we have decided to make The Second Annual Symposium virtual.

Please join us on Saturday, November 14th from 9am – 12pm

During the Symposium, companies will be giving presentations on and exhibiting the latest treatment and care for bleeding disorders. There will also be prize drawings, an “Ask the Provider Panel” and a Grand Prize winner announced!

Households that participate for the entire event will receive a $15 Domino’s and $10 Dairy Queen eGift Cards when the event ends.

Every registrant will receive a $5 Dairy Queen gift card and an HFMD Logo fandana! Don’t know what a fandana is? Check it out here! Click the image to enlarge the photo!

AND if that’s not enticement enough there are a number of prizes registrants can win! To find out how click on the image!