The Royal Children’s Hospital is helping young boys with Haemophilia to follow their sporting dreams with the launch today of a new sports book, ‘Boys will be boys – A guide to sports participation for people with Haemophilia and other bleeding disorders’, the first of its kind in Australia.

The book will be launched at The Royal Children’s Hospital today at 10.30am by one of Australia’s greatest Olympic rowers, James Tomkins OAM.

The Royal Children’s Hospital is the largest paediatric centre in Australia for treating boys with Haemophilia and currently looks after 150 patients from newborns to 18 years of age. Haemophilia is a chronic life long hereditary blood clotting disorder affecting males.  Boys are generally diagnosed within the first 12 months of life and until recent times faced a lifetime of painful spontaneous bleeds into the muscles and joints leading to disabling arthritis.  

With the introduction in the last 15 years of preventative medication given by intravenous injection three times a week, boys with Haemophilia have experienced a dramatic reduction in the amount of bleeding and a major improvement in their quality of life. As a result, boys with Haemophilia can now play a wide range of sports including basketball, rowing, soccer, tennis, hockey and cricket.

 ‘Boys will be boys’ has been written to provide coaches, sports teachers, parents and boys with an understanding of the condition and its implications for playing sport. The book  provides guidelines for sports participation by profiling over 40 sports, outlining common injuries, and providing advice on recommended warm-up activities and protective equipment.

“Whether it’s in a team, or as an individual pursuit, playing a sport helps young people to develop their self esteem and a sense of belonging with peers.   I’m delighted to be involved in launching  ‘Boys will be boys’ as I believe it will play an important role in encouraging boys with Haemophilia to embrace new sporting opportunities,” said James Tomkins.

Brendan Egan has compiled the book with the assistance of a number of physiotherapists in Australia and with funding from  Bayer Australia.  ‘Boys will be boys’ will be given to patients  at The  Royal Children’s Hospital and available nationally through state haemophilia foundations or by contacting The Haemophilia Foundation of Australia on 1800 807 173.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT KATE STRONACH,
PUBLIC AFFAIRS, THE ROYAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, TEL. 9345 5882/0403 806 052.

This event received the following media coverage:

• The Age
• Geelong Advertiser
• Mordialloc Chelsea, Bayside, Whitehorse Leader newspapers