Hemochromatosis: Three Years Later

This week marks 3 years since I was first diagnosed with Hemochromatosis and began getting regular phlebotomies. I can barely even believe it! If you’ve followed my journey you know, it’s been a roller coaster and a lot to deal with!

So, you’ve seen the blogs and videos on my journey, how to prepare for phlebotomies, my symptoms, and everything in between. However, I wanted to give you guys some more context on what this all means. Three years of phlebotomies? It’s hard to visualize.

Here’s the numbers:

• 3 years, 73 phlebotomies

• Average of 2 phlebotomies per month, for 3 years

A phlebotomy is a fancy word for blood donation or blood letting. Each visit they take out 500 ML of blood from my system:

• 500 ML per visit and 72 visits so far

• 36,000 ML of blood taken out.

• Equivalent to 9.5 gallons of blood.

Doesn’t that sound insane? That is a lot of blood and brings me to an important topic. All of my blood is discarded due to the high iron content and my sexual orientation. Can you imagine how many people 36,000 ML of blood could help? We have to change our perspectives and change the law. Allowing my blood to be donated and possibly help those with low iron.

This week we also tested my Ferritin or Iron levels. They are still going down! I am currently at 250. That is down 58 points since April. Which is good, especially considering I couldn’t give a full 500 ML the of blood the last two months. My body has just been stopping the blood flow, literally. It will just stop and not start again no matter what we do. It’s odd and frustrating. Something I need to talk to my Doctor about in September.

Thank you! Thank you all for following along in my journey and encouraging me along the way. It was been a game change for me and has helped me get through the tough times that come with Hemochromatosis. You are some of the best people I know and I hope you understand how much I appreciate you!

Thank you!

The Benefits of Owning a Home.

We all need a place to call home and feel comfortable. It may be a house, apartment, condo, or townhouse. We all know that finding a place to call home can be a complicated and even become an emotional decision. Especially after the downturn, young people  may be hesitant to buy a home. The good news is homeownership is still beneficial in many ways. 

Health Benefits: Homeowners and their families are generally more engaged in the community surrounding their home. That makes for healthier individuals, mentally and physically, according to Mark Lindblad, research director at the University of North Carolina’s Center for Community Capital. Children who's parents own a home also do better academically. Having a consistent home and a consistent school, helps kids thrive.

Tax Benefits: If you're single or married, without any children, you probably don't have many tax deductions to help lower your overall tax burden. Owning a home automatically allows you to deduct taxes and interest paid that year, up to 10,000 dollars. Make sure you speak with an Accountant to make sure your deductions are correct. 

Stable Costs: Rents are rising in today's market and owning a home, with a fixed rate loan, makes your housing costs predictable. As you pay down the loan amount, your mortgage will cost you even less. Rent is always cheaper in the short term, but owning a home stabilizes that cost and lowers it in the long term. A rental will never do that. 

Build Wealth: Homes typically go up in value. Although that can fluctuate in the short term, home values in the long term are stable. Real Estate is a long term investment so be patient. Even better, there are monthly gains in equity as you continue to pay your mortgage down. The bottom line is that real estate is still a great way to build wealth for you and your family. 

Capital Gains Exclusion: When you sell your primary residence for a profit, you get to keep $250,000 if your single and $500,000 if you're married. You'll pay $0.00 in capital gains taxes. ZERO! You just have to live in the home for five of the last 8 years.

The financial benefits are clear but the social benefits are based on stability. So when thinking of buying a home, make sure you're going to stay there for the long term. Then get a fixed rate mortgage and look for down payment assistance, if needed. That, along with a stable job, will ensure that you reap the financial and social benefits of owning a home.

Need help making those housing decisions? Know someone buying or selling? Please contact me, I'd love to help! Visit: www.teamclayton.com or email kyle@teamclayton.com