(Long Island, NY) Long Island’s very own Rose Bender has been named a recipient of the Soozie Courter Hemophilia Scholarship. Rose is one of ten undergraduate students across the United States to be recognized with this award, which was established by Pfizer Inc. to inspire deserving students living with hemophilia to achieve their educational goals.
Rose Bender. Photo Credit: Pfizer.
Hemophilia, which is diagnosed in predominately males, is a type of bleeding disorder that causes the blood to take a long time to clot as a result of a deficiency in blood clotting factor VIII or IX. It’s important to note that hemophilia doesn’t affect just men. Several bleeding disorders, including hemophilia, affect women, too. Bleeding disorders in women are often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed due to lack of awareness. Rose hopes to raise more awareness that women can have hemophilia. While there is no cure for hemophilia, with knowledge, healthy choices, and proper treatment, patients with hemophilia can effectively manage their disease.
Rose is beginning her freshman year at Yale University and would like to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is an accomplished athlete who has demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement throughout her high school career, earning a perfect ACT score and becoming valedictorian. Rose’s dream of pursuing a degree in biology at Yale will merge with her own medical experiences and her passion to give back to her community by helping others tackle the challenges she has overcome.
“I grew tired of just being the manager on my high school sabre fencing team after three years. Finally, with my hematologist’s permission and advice on how to manage potential injuries and the appropriate treatment regimen, I began a training program with the team,” shares Rose. “To my surprise and great joy, I won my first ever varsity bout. My team embraced me with hugs and the loudest cheers I have ever heard. I set a goal and achieved it, by learning new fencing skills and overcoming the medical challenges that had held me back.”
Rose’s story will inspire not only those within the local community, but also readers on a larger scale struggling with challenges in their own lives.
About the Soozie Courter Hemophilia Scholarship
Now in its 18th year, the Pfizer Hemophilia Soozie Courter Scholarship is awarded to applicants with hemophilia A or hemophilia B who present the best combination of a creative and persuasive essay, excellent recommendations and superior academic standing. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the program awarded five $4,000 graduate scholarships and ten $2,500 undergraduate scholarships, including vocational schools.
