Two young leaders trek to Istanbul for World Congress

The Susan Skinner Memorial Fund scholarship program recognizes young women with bleeding disorders who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential to improve the care of bleeding disorders in their country. The award honors the dedication of the late Susan Skinner, an American mother of children with bleeding disorders who was determined to ensure the availability of safe and effective treatment.

In 2008, two scholarships were granted for two young women – one from USA and one from Macedonia in Eastern Europe – to attend the Hemophilia World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. The recipients took time to share their memories of the experience with us.

Julia McDougal, left, and Marija Nakeska, right, at the Hemophilia World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

Julia McDougal, 19, Orem, Utah
At the Congress, I had the privilege of meeting leaders from the international bleeding disorders community. There was a strong sense of belonging and community as we put aside political and cultural differences and searched for ways to learn from one another.
I was touched to hear personal stories from my new friends.

This experience has renewed my desire to take action internationally and locally. Everyone should have access to the level of care that I am lucky to receive every day. We are truly a global family and can only grow stronger by growing together. I will never forget this incredible experience.

Marija Nakeska, 26, Kicevo, Macedonia
Tolstoy wrote: “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” At the Congress, I was connected with families who could relate to my experiences with bleeding disorders. Sharing our stories, good and bad, helped erase the borders often formed by race, religion, and nationality. My goal to ensure that people with bleeding disorders can one day live a normal life was strengthened.

All this would not be possible without the Susan Skinner Memorial Fund. I would like to thank the Skinner family and the WFH for this opportunity.

WFH USA thanks the National Hemophilia Foundation for their great assistance to the Susan Skinner Memorial Fund scholarship program. For more information about the program, please contact Rosalind Franklin at rfranklin@wfh.org.

Hemophilia Aid 2007 article