A Ride for a Cure

In 2006, Allie Deitel fell off her bicycle on Bardstown Road. It wasn't too serious. She stopped in a convenience store and picked up some band-aids for a few cuts. But when she got home some time later, the cuts were still bleeding. After a series of tests over five months to determine why such minor cuts would bleed so extensively, she was told she has a condition called von Willebrand Disease. A type of hemophilia, von Willebrand Disease is a bleeding disorder caused by a defect or deficiency of a blood clotting protein called von Willebrand Factor. Unlike typical hemophilia, which is present from birth, von Willebrand Disease can begin any time in a patient's life. Fortunately for Deitel, now a senior at St. Francis High School, there are three levels or types of the disease, and she has a less severe type. "I have the type that isn't as bad as Type III," says Deitel. "If I'm injured, they have to give me clotting medicine. It's mostly in case of emergencies." The disease has not stopped her from playing the sports she enjoys, particularly basketball. A four-year starting guard on the St. Francis basketball team, she averaged 9 points per game last year, mostly three-pointers. "I taught myself to play when I was 9," she says. "I find it really fun and challenging. I really do hope to play basketball in college." Deitel also plays goalie for the field hockey team and runs the 800 and 400 events in track. Plus, she still bikes. Last spring, Deitel was considering what to do for her senior project, a requirement for all seniors at St. Francis. She decided to use her passion for sports to help find a cure for her disease. She would make a long-distance bike trip to raise money for the National Hemophilia Foundation, which works to find better treatments and cures for von Willebrand Disease and other bleeding and clotting disorders. "I chose Nashville," Deitel says. "At 200 miles, it seemed a fair distance." She created a website and shared it with family members, friends and neighbors, describing the trip she was planning and asking for donations for the foundation. To get in shape for the ride, she ran track at school and biked about 20 miles a day, doing various hills around town. Some days, she biked to school. On July 5, she set out on her four-day trip, accompanied by two school friends. Glenn McCool, a senior classmate, and Julia Nazarenko, who had just graduated from St. Francis, followed her by car. "The first day I rode to Hodgenville," Deitel recalls. "That was 70 miles and it was really hilly. That was probably the hardest day. One hill was two miles high. "The second day we stopped at Mammoth Cave and hiked around the park. The third day we stopped at Scottsville. That was 30 miles and there were a lot of semi trucks. That was a little scary, but the hills weren't bad." On her final day, she encountered the only mechanical delay on her trip: a flat tire five miles from her Nashville destination. After a repair, she completed the journey. "I am incredibly proud about having finished my bike trip," Deitel says. "It has helped me realize that with the right amount of effort, I can achieve what I at first thought was impossible--or incredibly difficult." To complete her project, she must research her topic and write a paper on the event. So far, she has raised $1,745 for the National Hemophilia Foundation. "The checks are still coming in," she says. Deitel hopes her project will inspire others to reach their own altruistic goals. "I hope that people use my trip as an example that it is possible to help people if you want to and motivate yourself to do so." Von Willebrand Disease Von Willebrand Disease is a bleeding disorder caused by a defect or deficiency of a blood clotting protein, called von Willebrand Factor. Erik von Willebrand, a Finnish physician first described the disease after noticing the bleeding disorder among island people in Sweden and Finland. People with von Willebrand Disease may bruise easily, have recurrent nosebleeds, or bleed excessively following minor surgery. Women may have increased menstrual bleeding. Von Willebrand Disease has three types. - Type I: The most common and mildest form of von Willebrand disease, where levels of von Willebrand factor are lower than normal. 
- Type II: The von Willebrand factor itself has an abnormality. 
- Type III: Severe von Willebrand disease. These people may have a total absence of von Willebrand factor. Since aspirin and some other drugs used for pain can aggravate bleeding because they interfere with platelet function, people who have von Willebrand disease should take acetaminophen for pain relief because it does not inhibit platelet function. For more information, visit the National Hemophilia Foundation at www.hemophilia.org