Soccer star legend and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Mia Hamm, whose real name is Mariel Margaret Garciaparra, is rocking the aplastic anemia community by sharing her personal story to inspire others.
Instead of kicking back after achieving ultimate success playing soccer, Mia established a foundation to help people living with bone marrow disease and she also honors bone marrow donors who make it all possible. But that’s not all, she’s also involved in the support of cord blood marrow transplant patients and their families. How did this all come about? Her own brother, Garrett passed away back in 1997 after losing his battle against aplastic anemia.
It’s so refreshing to hear that celebrities are giving back to people who need it most. If you are interested in learning more about Mia and her efforts to raise awareness, visit her foundation’s website.
And if you or your loved one or friend has aplastic anemia, here are 3 important things that YOU can do to educate yourself and live as best you can with the disease!
- Read as much as you can from trusted websites like National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins, and the FDA to learn more about clinical trials and available treatments.
- Consult with your doctor about lifestyle changes because there are certain things that you can do that will make a difference such as talking with a nutritionist about removing foods with high iron from your diet.
- Join a support group (live or online) to learn how others are dealing with aplastic anemia.
