The guest of this episode is Clive Smith, a patient with severe Haemophilia A that despite the pain in his joints competes at the most extreme triathlons on the planet - IRONMAN. But he is much more than just a sportsman, he is a leader in the haemophilia community. Clive is the president of UK haemophilia society, EHC youth ambassador and newly elected World federation of Haemophilia board member. In this podcast, Clive shares how was growing up in a household where all the kids were patients with haemophilia. Then the conversation switches to sports. He talks about what motivated him to start running, how bleeds affected his recreation and what he has done to be able to continue running. He also tells us how he started to compete at triathlons and how he treats himself before the races. We concluded our conversation talking about leadership, what are traits of leaders and what is in his opinion the reason behind his quick progress from national level leader to now becoming a WFH board member.

In Episode no. 5 host Uroš Brezavšček addresses the topic of mindsets and why the mindset that allows growth is crucial if we want to thrive and live an extraordinary life. Mindset is responsible for how we see and experience things that happen in our reality and is the first thing we need to address If we want to transform our lives. Uroš also shares his own mindset and how it helps him face the challenges of his life - losing a job, living with chronic pain, having a bleeding disorder,...

Mark Ward is patient with severe haemophilia A who found out at the age 14 that he has been infected with HIV. As he grew up he realized his feelings had nothing to do with being HIV positive but were about he being gay which brought even more stigma and discrimination into his life. But he never gave up, on the contrary, he followed and fulfilled his dreams. Now he is helping others by advocating for compensation for patients that got infected with HIV and Hepatitis and is also offering support and information to others with bleeding disorders who also identify as LGBT - He is the LGBT Ambassador for Haemophilia. In this heart touching interview Mark shares the struggles and horrors of growing up with haemophilia in the early ’70s where some medical procedures he had been subjected to would be by today's standard classified as torture. Infection with HIV and his sexual orientation, later on, made his life a living hell. But he never gave up. Marks' life story is about pain, discrimination, death but also about love and joyful life. If you want to get inspired, this is for sure a story worth listening to. Where to find Mark? WEBSITE: www.haemosexual.com EMAIL: [email protected] Public inquiry: www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk

In Episode no. 3 host Uroš Brezavšček addresses a topic that is at the moment troubling humanity – Coronavirus, COVID-19. While media is spreading fear and it seems all hopeless, it is on us to do everything we can to stay healthy. Our defence against viruses is the immune system and there are some ways to boost it. What are things that will help us do that and how to apply them in your daily life to help your body fight any infection with ease is the main topic of this episode.

In Episode no. 2 host Uros Brezavscek addresses a topic that is in the bleeding disorder community mostly overlooked. It is a well-known fact that patients with severe bleeding disorders tend to bleed spontaneously or as a result of an injury. Maybe is a less known fact that every single human being bleeds but their bleeding episodes are so short that they can’t notice them. That’s why Uros wants to solve the mystery of why does a bleeding start in the first place? What is the cause for a spontaneous bleed or even for the injury that led to a bleed, and can we do anything to prevent bleeds from happening? Those are the questions that host Uros tries to answer based on his own personal experiences of living with severe Haemophilia A.

The guest of Episode #1 is Baiba Ziemele, an incredible woman, president of Latvia haemophilia society, advocate not only for bleeding disorders but also for other rare diseases, and believer in a fair and better world for everyone. In our conversation, Baiba told me how she found out about her bleeding disorder and how it affected her life. Then we spoke about an interesting story of how she became involved in her haemophilia society (NMO) and what she has so far done for bleeding disorder community in Latvia. She shared with me her experiences of working with government officials and the best approaches to be successful. But her work is not devoted only to a better future for Latvians patients with a bleeding disorder, she is also working for better life of patients with other rare disorders and she is doing it on EU level. We took time to also talk about her personal life and how all this volunteering work, travelling, conferences and meeting affects her professional and family life. Towards the end of our conversation, she shared her view of life and what would be her advice for those who want to be leaders in their own community.

The Bloody Heroes Podcast is a show devoted to the bleeding disorder community - to those who want to improve their quality of life or want to get inspired by what other patients were able to achieve in their lives. My guests are heroes in their own or the lives of others and their stories have the potential to inspire you to become a hero/heroine yourself!

This is the introduction to the Bloody Heroes podcast where the host of the show Uroš Brezavšček answers a few questions about the show that will be focused primarily on the bleeding disorder community and will highlight individuals with inspiring stories. Questions that are answerd in this episode of the show: How am I related to the bleeding disorder community? Why did I decide to start a podcast? What is the purpose of this podcast? Who is my ideal listener? What topics will the podcast cover and who will be my guests? Why do I think you would benefit from listening to this podcast? How frequent will be this show? How to reach out if you have an inspiring story you want to share or you know someone who is in your view a hero in the bleeding disorder community? [email protected]