You can’t stop him now

“We only realised after Preston's little brother had bled out several times through a tonsillectomy and was diagnosed at the age of three with this bleeding disorder. And when that happened, the light just clicked on as to what Preston had been dealing with his whole life,” recalls Angie, Preston’s mother.

Preston had health issues from the day he was born. However, no one knew exactly what was wrong. Growing up meant goose egg bumps and big bruises – but he was used to living with the knocks. So, when he was first diagnosed, he felt frustrated. “I never wanted to be associated with haemophilia really. I had a hard time accepting that I had it,” remembers Preston.

Haemophilia can be a significant lifetime burden in terms of quality of life. It is a bleeding disorder, meaning that the blood clotting process in the patient does not work properly. Recurrent bleeding into joints is one of the most severe consequences of this incurable disease, as it reduces movement and causes both chronic pain and stiffness. Approximately 400,000 people live with haemophilia around the world. Approximately 75% of them still have no access to adequate treatment.

Preston was diagnosed at the age of nine and, after he started getting treatment, his health improved. “You could see he had colour in his face. He had a light in his eyes, and he went from a kid that didn't want to do any activities to, well, you can’t stop him now,” beams Angie.

“Prophying – prophylaxis – or my regimen just allows me to do what I love and to continue pushing my body,” says the 23-year-old who now loves nothing better than spending time on his bike, adding: “This is where it feels right: hunched over the handlebars, sweating, with my heart rate up high.”

Being an active sports person, Preston’s priority is to really have confidence that his body is okay, his joints are fine and that he has the right amount of factor in his body to be able to perform to the level he wants.