Hmmm? Hemophilia? Bleeding a "Royal" Disease

This is hilarious. I'm finding all these things about myself that I have in common with royalty. lol. I typed in "health problems, royalty" and found "hemophilia" at the top of the list. I didn't know what it was. It's a bleeding disorder where the bleeding won't stop and often blood transfusions must be given. That's in modern times. In the old days, you just bled to death.

I don't know that I, personally, have hemophilia. I might have that other bleeding disorder which is common in Ashkenazi Jews. Possibly. But what I find a LITTLE strange, is how I felt my "friend" had once implied I would die from bleeding to death. And then I almost did. I really thought I might die and so did the doctors.

Even after blood transfusions, I was bleeding, and then finally it stopped, weeks after the surgery.

My aunt Locklyn, a Baird, almost died from hemmorhage too. She passed out and had to have blood transfusions. But although I bleed a little, I've never died from a cut or anything. So it's odd. I bruise easily. My son MAY, but then again, I don't know, because I was firm when I had to hold his legs and he was squirming around but I never caused any bruising.

I am trying to think...I don't know enough of my family history. I know we're related to some U.S. presidents and to a lot of military. George Washington on my father's side, Abraham Lincoln on my mother's side (through marriage), Hoover I think, and at least 2 more. I don't remember. I just remember my parents dueling over who had the better President in the bloodline...playfully dueling. And supposedly there's some connection to a "Garrett" castle, according to my father's biological mother who did genealogy but who is not a Garrett but a Davis.

There have been a few bleeding problems, but I haven't noticed anything outstanding. I asked them to test my blood at the hospital when they asked if I'd ever been tested for a blood disorder and I told them no, I'd never been tested. And then, to my knowledge, they didn't test. If it's hemophilia, I wouldn't know.

I only did a little reading, but it was very bad through Queen Victoria's line and then went to the Russian family and Spanish and other lines as well. They were all intermarrying and the hemophilia is very rare and recessive, especially among women, but it became inbred to some extent, or passed down, in aristocratic circles. Interesting though, I didn't realize it was such a huge deal. A lot of kids died from it, uncontrolled bleeding, and there is some speculation that the problems with the Russian family occured because of the amount of attention which went into the care of the kids as the affairs of the state fell apart.

Interesting history. I've never read any of it before other than I saw the movie about the Russian royalty imposter, played by the actress Steven Spielberg married, and I always liked Queen Elizabeth for what I imagined to be her spunk. I also liked Victoria as a name when I was younger, but I didn't know anything about Queen Victoria. I just thought if I ever had a daughter, that's what I'd name her. That's the extent of my lessons in aristocracy, oh and I read a little about the French Revolution. And Robert Bruce. But that's about it. Pretty scarce. Sort of interesting though...