My name is Alex Oelerich. I am a new freshman at Marquette University. When I was about 4 years old I was diagnosed with mild von Willebrands Disease. Throughout my life I have had to make modifications because of my condition. My limits were mild for the most part, only dealing with bleeding issues as they came up. Going into my senior year of high school was told that I no longer could play soccer. The game was to extreme at the level the high school played at. At that time my world was crushed. This was the first major part of my transition. If they would not let me play then I could manage the team. I was no longer a player, but still on the team. This event made me think about my career path. I had always wanted to be in the science field. Now thoughts of being a Hematologist/Oncologist were in my head. Maybe I could help others because I knew how it felt. I prepared myself for college by becoming a Marquette Young Scholar. I also job shadowed in 11 different areas at Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls. Nothing could change my decision. In March 2010 I received my acceptance letter to Marquette! The next few months flew by. After graduation I came to Marquette for summer classes. I had a 5 week stay. For the 1st time I was completely responsible for myself.

I talked to my Professors and Student RA and let them know about my von Willebrand. Public safety was made aware just in case a trip to the ER was in my future. It was an exciting time for me. Once again I was playing soccer. We would have pickup games after classes. When I was younger I would get angry about bleeding. I did not want to be different. Looking at it now it made me look at my life and see how I could help others. Through the years GLHF has been there for me and my family. They helped to make us all understand what was going on with me. My dream is to one day give back to the Bleeding Disorder Community.

My Sincere thanks,
Alex Oelerich


2011-2012 scholarship information will be available in January 2011. Be sure to check glhf.org and look for information in your mail.