Elise Goebel was an active teenager when she became anemic and experienced excruciating ankle pain. Her doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong until they ran a blood test and found that her blood wasn’t clotting properly. Soon after, Elise was diagnosed with severe factor VII deficiency, a rare bleeding disorder that affects the blood’s ability to clot. “We had no idea how rare it was until our pediatrician called out of the blue and said he never sees this kind of thing,” said Elise’s mom Bridget.

It wasn’t long before Elise’s younger sister Mia was tested and found to have a milder form of the disease. Now, both receive medical care and support from Versiti Comprehensive Center for Bleeding Disorders (CCBD), which taught Elise and Mia how to self-infuse the factor VII replacement that their blood lacks. Bridget credits CCBD Medical Director Lynn Malec, MD, MSc, for aiding in her daughters’ care.

“Dr. Malec took the lead for us when we were faltering and didn’t understand what this was and what was going to happen,” she says. “Whenever we have questions, we’re able to call Versiti and get answers. It’s been a really good experience.”

People need people, make a difference in someone’s life by donating blood.

We must rely on each other for the gift of blood, and patients in your community rely on the generosity of Versiti’s blood donors to help. Please consider scheduling an appointment to donate. If this is your first time, donating blood is quick, easy and relatively painless. And, it is a great way to give back and help patients in your community.