Bleeding is a normal part of being human. But for Peyton Holland, a 12-year-old with hemophilia, something as human as bleeding can be a serious, potentially life-threatening issue.
Fortunately for Peyton, he’s exactly where he needs to be. Levine Children’s Hospital and Levine Cancer Institute now have a federally designated hemophilia treatment center (HTC) – making us our region’s first federally funded HTC to treat both kids and adults.
This means we have the full range of care for people with hemophilia – plus doctors, nurses and other specialists – in a single facility. Most importantly, patients like Peyton and their families can now get all the hemophilia care they need, in one place.
Care Beyond the Condition
Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that causes increased bleeding and bruising, which can be spontaneous and severe. Hemophilia is rare in itself – affecting only 1 in 5,000 male births – but to make Peyton’s case even more unique, he also has a condition that increases his risk for blood clots. Like many patients with hemophilia, taking care of Peyton requires a full team approach, with many different specialists working together to manage his combined conditions.
Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of two Atrium Health doctors, kids like Peyton and their families can get the highest level of hemophilia care, without going far.
Mary Ann Knovich, MD, a blood and cancer specialist at LCI, knew that having an HTC would make all the difference for her patients with bleeding disorders. So she joined forces with Ashley Hinson, MD, a pediatric blood specialist at LCH, and together the providers worked to create Atrium Health’s hemophilia treatment center.
Because our HTC team cares for children as well as for adults, we not only help kids transition to adult care, but we can also provide care for entire families. In fact, both Peyton and his mom receive complete care for bleeding disorders at our treatment center.
But HTCs do more than offer convenience – they also improve outcomes. For people with hemophilia, two of the biggest concerns are complications related to the disorder and, in severe cases, death as a result of losing too much blood. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hemophilia patients who go to facilities with a designated HTC are 40 percent less likely to be hospitalized for bleeding complications and 40 percent less likely to die from hemophilia-related complications.
Although hemophilia is at the center of everything we do at this treatment center, care goes beyond the disorder itself. As an HTC, we’re there for the whole patient. In addition to treating them physically, we also provide emotional, psychological and educational care, as well as any support and resources patients and families might need.
It's All Right Here
No matter what kind of care they need – or how complex it might be – Peyton and his mom know they’re well taken care of at Atrium Health.
Instead of giving in to his condition, 12-year-old Peyton gives back. He participates in community hemophilia walks, and he even used his Make-A-Wish to host a Halloween party for all the kids at Levine Children’s Hospital.
There’s no doubt about it: Peyton doesn’t let something like requiring extra medical attention stop him from living his best life. And with a federally designated hemophilia treatment center just around the corner, the Holland family has extra peace of mind that all the care they need is right here.
