The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) is pleased to announce that winners of two scholarships: the Kevin Child Scholarship and the Doreen McMullan McCarthy Memorial Academic Scholarship for Women with Bleeding Disorders.
For the first time, two brothers have been awarded the 2013 Kevin Child Scholarship--Gabriel and Raphael Forbes. Both have severe hemophilia A.
Gabriel, 18, is a freshman at Whittier College, in Whittier, CA, majoring in kinesiology with a minor in French. He is a pre-med student and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. Gabriel is also an Eagle Scout, has a brown belt in Shotokan karate and is on his college swim team. His other interests are modeling and acting in comedic roles.
Raphael, 19, is a sophomore at Whittier College, double majoring in biology and art. He is an Eagle Scout, has a brown belt in Shotokan karate and is a competitive swimmer. As a pre-med student, Raphael is an "observer" to a renowned surgeon at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. His future plans are to apply to medical school to become a cardiovascular surgeon.
This scholarship is named for Kevin Child, who died of AIDS in 1989, shortly before graduating from college. It is awarded annually to a student with hemophilia who is either currently enrolled in or is planning to attend college. In honor of Kevin's legacy, the Child family hopes this scholarship program will provide some assistance for students striving to acquire a higher education.
Doreen McMullan McCarthy Memorial Academic Scholarship for Women with Bleeding Disorders
Michelle Cecil is the 2013 recipient of the Doreen McMullan McCarthy Memorial Academic Scholarship for Women with Bleeding Disorders. The scholarship was established in 2013 to honor the memory of Doreen McMullan McCarthy, a young nurse and mother who died of complications from von Willebrand (VWD) disease in 1979 when she was 25 years old. The scholarship provides $2,500 to a woman with a bleeding disorder so she can pursue undergraduate or graduates studies at a college, university or vocational school
Cecil, 20, has type I VWD. She is from Thiensville, Wisconsin, and is active with her local chapter, Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation (GLHF). In 2012 Cecil planned a women's panel discussion for GLHF's annual meeting. She has been a long-time camper and most recently a camp counselor at Camp Bold Eagle in Michigan. Cecil is a member of NHF's National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI), which she has participated in since 2010.
Cecil attends the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where she is majoring in communications and human service leadership, with a minor in German. After graduation, her goal is to work for a nonprofit, advocating for people, especially women, with bleeding disorders.
