National Hemophilia Foundation Asks America to Make a Difference With National Fundraising...

National Hemophilia Foundation Asks America to Make a Difference With National
Fundraising Initiative
National Walk to help raise money for crucial research, advocacy and education

NEW YORK, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hemophilia Foundation
(NHF) today announced its first-ever national fundraising and awareness
campaign -- the Hemophilia Walk, presented nationally by Baxter Healthcare
Corporation. As part of this initiative, the NHF will partner with local
chapters in five cities across the U.S. to raise much needed funding to help
find better treatments and cures for hemophilia and other bleeding and
clotting disorders, increase awareness about these conditions and promote
early diagnosis, and provide education to help those with bleeding disorders
avoid complications.
The Hemophilia Walk will kick off in New York City on June 1, and Walks
are scheduled in four other cities on the following days:
-- Houston, TX - September 6
-- Cleveland, OH - September 20
-- Phoenix, AZ - September 28
-- Raleigh, NC - October 18

"We are very excited about announcing the launch of this first-ever
nationwide fundraising initiative," said Howard Balsam, interim chief
executive officer, National Hemophilia Foundation. "These walks will help the
NHF on both a local and national level, advancing and strengthening our
overall mission of finding better treatments and cures and, until that time,
helping all those with bleeding and clotting disorders live longer more
healthy lives."
The official Hemophilia Walk Web site, http://www.hemophilia.org/walk/,
provides a quick and easy way to learn more about the individual Hemophilia
Walks and for participants to register for the Walk of their choice.
Once registered, participants can conduct individual fundraising efforts
as part of a team, or by creating a team of their own. To help make this
process even easier, the NHF has partnered with Active.com to provide an easy
and secure way to conduct fundraising online.
"Baxter is proud to be the national presenting sponsor of the NHF
Hemophilia Walk," said John Shannon, vice president of marketing, Baxter
Healthcare. "Millions of Americans live with bleeding disorders, including
hemophilia, which can cause crippling disabilities, particularly if left
untreated. At Baxter, we are committed to supporting programs that raise
awareness, educate and help improve the lives of people living with these
conditions.
About Hemophilia
Approximately 400,000 people around the world have hemophilia. Hemophilia
is an inherited bleeding disorder that can affect families over generations,
and is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the
muscles, joints, or internal organs. While advances in therapies have given
those with hemophilia a chance for longer and healthier lives, there is still
no cure. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation
proteins, known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is
hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is
either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or
defective factor IX.
About the National Hemophilia Foundation
The National Hemophilia Foundation is dedicated to finding better
treatments and cures for bleeding and clotting disorders and to preventing the
complications of these disorders through education, advocacy and research.
SOURCE National Hemophilia Foundation

John Indence of National Hemophilia Foundation, +1-212-328-3763,
jindence@hemophilia.org