Mark

Hello! Mark is 18 years old and in the 10th grade. His school is 22 kilometers from his home, so he needs to take the school van to get there. His favorite subject is English. He is making average progress despite regularly missing school due to bleeds. He aspires to be an engineer one day. When not at school, he helps out his mother in the garden. He has been diagnosed with severe hemophilia A. He has had regular bleeds in his knees and recently had a bleed in his eye. He is able to receive factor infusions at his local hemophilia treatment center. The treatment center takes an hour to get to by public transportation which costs $4 per trip. The great distance and expense prevent him from receiving treatment as often as he should and poses a risk in the case of a bleeding emergency. His family lives in the city of Nankonge, Uganda which is in the Wakiso district. He lives with his parents and five brothers. Two of his bothers, Micheal and Emmanuel, also have hemophilia. His father drives a motorcycle taxi for work. His mother works as a farmer. Their combined monthly earnings are approximately $80. His family speaks Luganda in their home. Members of his family are also able to read and write in English. Mark's family owns a small two-room house that is constructed of mud. The home does not have electricity, a refrigerator or any plumbing. They need to get water from a village well and use an outdoor toilet. The home is in very poor condition. It does not have windows that open and the door is only an old iron sheet that is not secure. Their meals are cooked outside over a charcoal fire. Their basic diet consists of vegetables and lots of sweet potatoes from his mothers garden. Sponsorship funds help to pay for his health care and education.