Gabriel tells his own story

Narrator:

ELOCTATE antihemophilic factor recombinant FC fusion protein. Please stay tuned for important safety information at the end of this video.

Gabriel:

I consider myself a pretty normal 21 year old. Growing up, it wasn't always like that. I was the first one in my family to be diagnosed with hemophilia. Around five years old, I began to notice that I had more eyes on me than everyone else. I was the only kid in my classroom being called to the nurse's office three times a week. My mom would say, “Stop, be careful. Don't do that.” So I didn't always get to be a normal kid.

I started playing football in the eighth grade and I loved it. From the very beginning, I knew it was something I shouldn't have been doing. My mother finally told the doctors and I already knew it was over from that. Being told that I couldn't do something that I loved, it drastically changed my prophylaxis schedule. I stopped infusing three times a week like I was supposed to. In my mind at 15 years old…it didn't matter.

My health care team then showed me my joints on a machine and I was able to see it physically, the damage that was already done to my body. Actually seeing it physically was a real eye opener for me. It was finally the aha moment that stuck.

When my doctor told me about ELOCTATE, he told me that is an extended half-life treatment. That would change my prophylaxis from three times a week to twice weekly. That's 52 times less a year, you know, every single year. So I made the decision to switch to ELOCTATE.

My doctor also talked with me about some of the possible side effects with ELOCTATE. Like headaches, rash, joint pain and general discomfort. After two weeks, my body adjusted to it. And it was just like any other day. My health care team taught me that maintaining physical fitness would also benefit my joint health. That way I can explore more and do more things in life.

ELOCTATE gives me bleed and joint bleed protection, so I can do the things that I love to do. It's very important to me because I look forward to being able to travel. Being able to hike and sightsee and do things that I haven't ever been able to do in my life. I want to be that 40 year old, 50 year old still chasing after their kids without the issues of ankles or knees or hips. I'm really happy with the choices that I've made. Switching to ELOCTATE, it worked out really well for me.

If I could go back and tell myself 15 years old, you're not the only one dealing with this.

And there are other people on this earth that have gone through the same journey. And as hard as it can be, you're not alone. If you're thinking about making the switch, you should talk to your doctor and see if ELOCTATE would be right for you.