“I grew up understanding that I was a carrier and hemophilia would not only be a part of my past but likely my future. Zander was born in May of 2009, and that same day, we learned he had severe hemophilia A.

Zander has always been pretty self-aware and smart. When he was about 3, he was able to tell me if he had a bleed. Even though there was no noticeable swelling or bruising, he knew the pain he felt meant a bleed. I learned very quickly that I have to really listen to him. I accepted that it’s his body, and I did my best to give him ownership. He’s always played an active role in the infusion process, and once he learned how to self-infuse, he took off with it. Now, I’m rarely involved with his infusions.

In 2023, our insurance changed, so we had to change hematologists. Our new hematologist was really excited about ALTUVIIIO. She didn’t pressure us though. Instead, she said, ‘Here’s what we know about this treatment. This is what we’ve seen in people in our center. This is what I’ve learned at conferences.’ She was very informative and explained that ALTUVIIIO was shown to have higher-for-longer factor levels for multiple days of the week. Our hematologist also asked Zander how he felt about it and what he was looking for. The change from infusing once every other day to once weekly meant a lot to him, so in August of 2023, he made the switch to ALTUVIIIO.

Our family is most definitely grateful Zander has ALTUVIIIO now. Since starting ALTUVIIIO, he hasn’t had any breakthrough bleeds. I’m also grateful for the relationship we have with his doctor. Being a mom of a kid with hemophilia can be really scary, but I’ve learned how important it is to let him live, let him play, let him fall, and even let him get bleeds—it’s going to happen. What’s important is that we equip our children with the knowledge of hemophilia and how to treat it.”

Nika and Zander are promotional speakers compensated by Sanofi. Peer stories based on data collected March 2026.

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