By Jessica Todd | Current in Noblesville

For youth with blood disorders, it can be challenging to find others their age who can empathize.

Noblesville siblings Owen Bergman, 16, Andrew Bergman, 9, and Elizabeth Bergman, 7, all have Hemophilia B, a rare inherited bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of factor IX, a clotting protein essential for proper blood clotting.

The siblings recently attended Camp Brave Eagle in North Webster, a summer camp sponsored by the Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center and Hemophilia of Indiana, where youth ages 7-16 with bleeding disorders and their siblings can participate in a traditional summer camp experience. The family is now raising awareness about the camp for other children in the area.

“When you’re at camp you’re safe no matter what because the camp cares about us and because you’re not alone,” Andrew said.

The siblings’ mom, Sarah Bergman, said it’s hard for her children, or any child with a blood disorder, to attend a traditional summer camp because of the high potential for spontaneous bleeding that can cause lengthy bleeding episodes.

“If they have an injury, it can cause bleeding into the joints specifically, but then also if they hit their head, they would need to be treated with their IV factor to prevent them from bleeding into their brain,” Sarah said. “A regular YMCA staff (works) Camp Brave Eagle, but then there’s also physicians, nurses and other staff from Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center that come so the kids can safely do all the fun activities.”

Bergman noted an example this summer of how the specialized camp helps treat children with blood disorders.

“Andrew fell off this big bubble mat and hit his head on the ground,” Bergman said. “They took him to the medic, gave him his IV factor and monitored him to make sure he didn’t have internal bleeding. It’s just a little bit different than the standard first aid that they would normally get at a regular camp.”

Bergman said she and her children want to raise awareness about the camp because it is the only one she knows of in Indiana specifically for kids with blood disorders.

“They get to meet kids that have the same disorder that they do from all over the state that they would never have a chance to meet otherwise,” Bergman said. “It helps them realize they are not the only one, and it’s a way for these kids to have a summer camp experience that a lot of times their bleeding disorder would keep them from having.”

For more, visit innovativehematology.org/campbraveeagle.