Ten years ago, my twin daughters were diagnosed with VWD at the age of 5. We then found out my husband’s paternal grandfather and aunt had VWD. My husband then tested positive for VWD, but my father-in-law was never tested. Two years later, my father in-law passed away following a 3-day GI bleed that was only treated with blood transfusions because he didn’t have access to factor treatments that could have saved his life. Since then, I’ve been a huge advocate of understanding VWD inheritance and testing family members who have symptoms. I don’t want to lose anyone else due to lack of knowledge.
2 Responses
So sorry to hear about your loss. I have 2 sons with type 3 VWD and no family history. My father-in-law also had bleeding problems but was never tested. He suffered from knee problems and terrible nosebleeds! Only with the diagnosis of my 2 sons did we start to understand the connection!
Thankyou for sharing, I will insist my mother get tested now following my own + VWD diagnosis.