Hemophilia: A Pedagogue's Dream Come True

I could probably fill an entire blog with hemophilia references in pop-culture and the news, and someday I might just do that. Until then, I'm going to relay a story from my sister that really made my blood curdle. That is to say, it would have if it could.

My sister is going into her third year at the Coast Guard Academy. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard came to her school to give a lecture on leadership. His lecture was taken from lessons Colin Powell had synthesized into a slideshow that others could use. Here is the entire quote taken from Powell’s slideshow:

"Don't be buffaloed by experts and elite's. Experts often possess more data than judgement. Elite's can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world."

I'd like to note that I've kept the quote's original punctuation for the sake of realism. The rest of the story can best be told in my sister's own words:

When that final sentence was read out loud, the cadets around me immediately began to laugh. I heard someone say as they were gaffawing “ haha…hemophiliacs!” and another person say.. “that’s awesome!”. I was surprised when I first saw the quote come up on the screen because I rarely hear “hemophilia” mentioned outside our close-knit circle of friends and family. Looking at the laughing faces around me, I soon became angry because hemophiliacs are not weak and the ones I know are stronger than a lot of the complaining individuals around me. Some cadets complain a lot about our daily discomforts at the Academy, but I can never remember hearing someone who suffers from hemophilia complain. The injustice of the quote caused my eyes to swell immediately. When the lecture was over, I decided I needed to tell Master Chief how I felt. Would someone use cancer or other severe medical issues in an analogy knowing that so many people suffer it and die. I think that this quote passed under the radar because the general public knows little about hemophilia.

It took me a while to find the Master Chief and I was about to give up and walk in the barracks when he crossed right in front of my path. The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard is a big deal, so I was nervous going up to him. I told him that I had a brother with hemophilia, recited the quote word for word, and told him that I was saddened the suffering of hemophiliacs was being used as a punch-line. The Coast Guard is a wonderful organization and he listened to me and told me he never saw it in that light and that he would change future slides. Please give credit to his compassion because that is a great attribute of the Coast Guard.

So that’s what happened! Hope it helps!

So thanks to my sister for having the courage to walk up to a ranking officer and express her disaproval. Additional thanks for sharing her story and allowing me to share it in turn. As she said, it speaks volumes for the Coast Guard that the Master Chief was willing to recognize the mistake and made an effort to change the presentation, but I find it troubling that it took a second-year cadet to notice what went unnoticed by the top brass of this country.

Edit: It has just come to my attention that you can actual view Colin Powell's talking points here. It's always nice when you don't have to take my word for it.