Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, has issued a heartfelt thank you to the nation’s blood donors, as his 4-year-old daughter, who has a blood disorder, was admitted to hospital for treatment.
“I don’t normally talk publicly about my kids because I want them to grow up out of the public spotlight, but sometime it’s unavoidable,” Mr Hipkins said in a social media post this afternoon.
“Both my kids have a blood condition called Von Willebrand Syndrome. It means that sometimes when they get bleeding noses or other health issues they need a bit of extra medical help to get sorted.
“Today my 4 year old is in hospital for some needed treatment, so for the rest of the day while that is happening I’ll be working from the hospital while I’m focused on her,” he wrote.
Von Willebrand disease is a lifelong bleeding disorder in which a sufferer’s blood doesn’t clot properly. People with the disease have low levels of von Willebrand factor, a protein that helps blood clot, or the protein doesn’t perform as it should.
Most people with the disease are born with it, having inherited it from one or both parents.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to thank blood donors for their efforts as his daughter undergoes treatment.
“All going well I’ll be back at work soon, but thanks to my colleagues for covering a few engagements over the next couple of days that I’m going to have to miss.”
“Lots of New Zealanders rely on the generosity of those who give blood. Thank you to all those who help people out like my little girl,” he said.
