This is my childhood friend Kevin's "Big Stick" emblem. He had* severe hemophilia and the Big Stick is a rite of passage that he's taken part in for over 20 years at an activity camp for kids with hemophilia.
Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder where your body doesn't make enough clotting factor to stop bleeds. This means that there is no such thing as a minor injury. It's not just cuts and scrapes. You pull a muscle? There's bleeding that has to be controlled.
Hemophiliacs have to administer clotting factor from an IV to stop bleeds. At this camp, the kids will reach an important rite of passage. They learn a crucial skill they'll need to become independent. The kids will self infuse their own IV for the first time.
Kevin's at the camp for work reasons, but he's also volunteering to give back. He hand carves every child their own custom stick trophy to award to them after they've taken a needle and made their "big stick".
*-He still has hemophilia, but cutting edge therapies improved it.
#humans #today