National Hemophilia Foundation Asks America to Make a Difference With National Fundraising Initiative

National Walk to help raise money for crucial research, advocacy and education

NEW YORK, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) today announced its first-ever national fundraising and awareness campaign -- the Hemophilia Walk, presented nationally by Baxter Healthcare Corporation. As part of this initiative, the NHF will partner with local chapters in five cities across the U.S. to raise much needed funding to help find better treatments and cures for hemophilia and other bleeding and clotting disorders, increase awareness about these conditions and promote early diagnosis, and provide education to help those with bleeding disorders avoid complications.

The Hemophilia Walk will kick off in New York City on June 1, and Walks are scheduled in four other cities on the following days:

-- Houston, TX - September 6
-- Cleveland, OH - September 20
-- Phoenix, AZ - September 28
-- Raleigh, NC - October 18

"We are very excited about announcing the launch of this first-ever nationwide fundraising initiative," said Howard Balsam, interim chief executive officer, National Hemophilia Foundation. "These walks will help the NHF on both a local and national level, advancing and strengthening our overall mission of finding better treatments and cures and, until that time, helping all those with bleeding and clotting disorders live longer more healthy lives."

The official Hemophilia Walk Web site, http://www.hemophilia.org/walk/, provides a quick and easy way to learn more about the individual Hemophilia Walks and for participants to register for the Walk of their choice.

Once registered, participants can conduct individual fundraising efforts as part of a team, or by creating a team of their own. To help make this process even easier, the NHF has partnered with Active.com to provide an easy and secure way to conduct fundraising online.

"Baxter is proud to be the national presenting sponsor of the NHF Hemophilia Walk," said John Shannon, vice president of marketing, Baxter Healthcare. "Millions of Americans live with bleeding disorders, including hemophilia, which can cause crippling disabilities, particularly if left untreated. At Baxter, we are committed to supporting programs that raise awareness, educate and help improve the lives of people living with these conditions.

About Hemophilia

Approximately 400,000 people around the world have hemophilia. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder that can affect families over generations, and is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. While advances in therapies have given those with hemophilia a chance for longer and healthier lives, there is still no cure. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins, known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX.

About the National Hemophilia Foundation

The National Hemophilia Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for bleeding and clotting disorders and to preventing the complications of these disorders through education, advocacy and research.

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Source: National Hemophilia Foundation

CONTACT: John Indence of National Hemophilia Foundation,
+1-212-328-3763, jindence@hemophilia.org

Web site: http://www.hemophilia.org/walk

2008-04-17 17:50:45 0339231 PRNEWSWIRE