Bleeding On Broadway

My first experience with hemophilia occurred years ago when a good friend of mine relayed the story of how a relative had died from the disease. According to her, you knew you had hemophilia when a cut just wouldn’t stop bleeding. That little piece of information came flooding back years later, during an unfortunate incident in which I cut my leg shaving. Unable to quell the flow of blood after a minute or so, I burst into tears, and had to be reassured by my amused sister that I did not, in fact, have hemophilia.  

This story came back to me on June 13th, when Believe Theatrical held their fourth annual fundraising event to benefit the Hemophilia Association of New York (HANY). This year’s performance, titled Bleeding on Broadway, featured the adapted stories of real life people whose lives have been touched by various bleeding disorders.

Photo: Russ Rowland

Among these works were Sean Michael Welch’s Nophilia,  Brother Beach by Ryan Gielen, both of which were incredibly entertaining and moving.

The Cast of Nophilia Photo: Russ Rowland

The actors of Nightingale Photo: Russ Rowland

The cast of Brother Beach Photo: Russ Rowland

Patrick James Lynch Photo: Russ Rowland

Patrick James Lynch, in addition to appearing in Brother Beach, co-hosted Bleeding on Broadway, and brought a more personal note to the event, as he himself has hemophilia and even lost his brother to the disease.

Despite the heavy content and purpose of the event, the atmosphere of the room was lively and positive, with many light hearted moments in between stories. It was easy to see how much everyone involved cared about the cause and wanted to do their best in helping to make a difference. Even I, not knowing much about hemophilia and the havoc it wreaks, was inspired to learn more about the disease and hear stories about those who live life with it. Hopefully, moving forward, HANY will be able to gain more support and do more to help those who are afflicted with the disease.

Special thanks to Ryan Gielen