Meet Luca, one of the winners of our Little Bleeders Photography competition. Luca loves his sports and is determined to be involved in his favourite activities despite his haemophilia. He is an avid footballer as can be seen in his photos which show him participating in football tournaments and being awarded trophies presented by former professional footballers. One of the most significant photos in Luca’s submission shows him recovering from a football injury, which is a common occurrence for him. While it does show Luca with an injury, the photo also shows his determination to play his favourite sport.
Let’s learn more about Luca:
What is your favourite activity?
My favourite activity is football, I play it as much as I can. The best thing about football its how competitive it is and the trophies that you can win (I’ve won quite a few myself). I have also made a lot of great friends playing football and that makes it even more fun when you can play on a team with your mates.
Can you tell us about your haemophilia?
I was diagnosed with Mild Haemophilia A when I was nine years old. My mum had noticed some things about me that made her concerned so she took me to the doctors. After I developed a bleed on my eye and was given some tests, I was eventually diagnosed with haemophilia.
What are some of the challenges you face when it comes to getting to do your favourite activity?
As you can see from my photos I never let haemophilia get in my way but I do have to be more careful than the other kids. I have to stay away from close contact sports like boxing. While rugby is a pretty close contact sport, I love it, so I have seen my specialist about being able to play when I get to senior school and he told me that if I use a nasal spray before playing it should help raise my factor levels making it possible for me to participate – as long as I’m careful of course.
How important are organisations like Little Bleeders and role models like Alex Dowsett?
Very important because they show children like me that they shouldn’t give up on their favourite sports and that anything is possible! Little Bleeders have helped me to realise that I don’t have to give up the sports that I love just because of my diagnosis.
Well done Luca, keep winning those trophies and congratulations on the competition!
