Our Vision
All people with bleeding disorders in developing countries have the medical and economic resources necessary to live independent and productive lives.
The values that drive us
- Compassion: We show up with real care and practical help.
- Community: We connect families, partners, and supporters so nobody is alone.
- Value of the Individual: Every person matters and deserves dignity and respect.
- Opportunity: We help people build a better future through support and programs.
- Access to Resources: We work to improve access to treatment and basic needs.
Our Mission
Save One Life, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals and families affected by bleeding disorders in developing countries.
Global Goals
- Raise public awareness about bleeding disorders in the developing world
- Identify children and youth who need aid
- Support basic needs and preparation for adulthood
- Give sponsors and donors a direct way to help
- Partner with and mentor local bleeding disorder organizations through program funding
Founder Laureen Kelley
Laureen A. Kelley is a successful author, businesswoman and humanitarian. Laurie has served the bleeding disorders community since 1989. She is the president of LA Kelley Communications, Inc., which publishes ground-breaking educational resources for families with bleeding disorders, and founder of Save One Life.
Laurie is the author of eleven books on hemophilia, including Raising a Child with Hemophilia, written in 1990. As the first parenting book on hemophilia, it has been read by parents around the world. She co-authored the first book on von Willebrand disease and the first on inhibitors. She published the quarterly Parent Empowerment Newsletter for 31 years, which was the first newsletter for the bleeding disorder community written by a parent. She continues to publish the weekly HemaBlog®. Most of Laurie’s hemophilia resources are available free of charge.
Laurie is the author of eleven books on hemophilia, including Raising a Child with Hemophilia, written in 1990. As the first parenting book on hemophilia, it has been read by parents around the world. She co-authored the first book on von Willebrand disease and the first on inhibitors. She published the quarterly Parent Empowerment Newsletter for 31 years, which was the first newsletter for the bleeding disorder community written by a parent. She continues to publish the weekly HemaBlog®. Most of Laurie’s hemophilia resources are available free of charge.
What Is A Bleeding Disorder?
A bleeding disorder is an inherited condition where the blood does not clot properly. Bleeding disorders exist in every country and affect people of every race. Many people — especially in developing countries — receive little to no treatment, which can lead to serious internal bleeding in joints and vital organs. Without proper care, bleeding disorders can cause severe long-term damage.
Filter Disorders
Inhibitors
Other Blood Disorder
Quick Definition
Inhibitors are antibodies the body develops that attack clotting factor treatments (like factor VIII or IX), making standard hemophilia treatment stop working.
Why Access Matters
When inhibitors develop, bleeding becomes much harder (and more expensive) to control. Without the right meds and medical support, the risk of severe bleeds, joint damage, and emergencies goes way up.
How SOL Helps
When inhibitors develop, bleeding becomes much harder (and more expensive) to control. Without the right meds and medical support, the risk of severe bleeds, joint damage, and emergencies goes way up.
Inhibitors
Other Blood Disorder
Inhibitors are antibodies the body develops that attack clotting factor treatments (like factor VIII or IX), making standard hemophilia treatment stop working.
Learn More
Von Willebrand Disease (vWD)
Other Blood Disorder
Quick Definition
vWD is the most common bleeding disorder, caused by missing or defective von Willebrand factor.
Why Access Matters
Untreated bleeding can cause long-term damage and complications.
How SOL Helps
Untreated bleeding can cause long-term damage and complications.
Von Willebrand Disease (vWD)
Other Blood Disorder
vWD is the most common bleeding disorder, caused by missing or defective von Willebrand factor.
Learn More
Functional Platelet Disorders
Platelet Disorder
Quick Definition
Functional platelet disorders occur when platelets are present but do not work properly.
Why Access Matters
Diagnosis and treatment are often limited in low-resource areas.
How SOL Helps
Diagnosis and treatment are often limited in low-resource areas.
Functional Platelet Disorders
Platelet Disorder
Functional platelet disorders occur when platelets are present but do not work properly.
Learn More
Glanzmann Thrombasthenia
Platelet Disorder
Quick Definition
Glanzmann Thrombasthenia is a rare inherited platelet disorder where platelets cannot stick together.
Why Access Matters
Bleeding episodes can be severe without timely treatment.
How SOL Helps
Bleeding episodes can be severe without timely treatment.
Glanzmann Thrombasthenia
Platelet Disorder
Glanzmann Thrombasthenia is a rare inherited platelet disorder where platelets cannot stick together.
Learn More
Factor XIII Deficiency
Clotting Factor Disorder
Quick Definition
Factor XIII deficiency prevents clots from stabilizing, even after bleeding appears to stop.
Why Access Matters
Bleeding may restart hours or days later without treatment.
How SOL Helps
Bleeding may restart hours or days later without treatment.
Factor XIII Deficiency
Clotting Factor Disorder
Factor XIII deficiency prevents clots from stabilizing, even after bleeding appears to stop.
Learn More
Factor XI Deficiency
Clotting Factor Disorder
Quick Definition
Factor XI deficiency, also called Hemophilia C, affects the body’s ability to form stable clots.
Why Access Matters
Without proper care, surgical procedures become high-risk.
How SOL Helps
Without proper care, surgical procedures become high-risk.
Factor XI Deficiency
Clotting Factor Disorder
Factor XI deficiency, also called Hemophilia C, affects the body’s ability to form stable clots.
Learn More
Save One Life Team
The SOL team keeps programs running, supports beneficiaries, works with partners, and helps donors and sponsors stay connected to the mission.
Cindy Komar
Executive Director
Having a son with hemophilia herself, Cindy is passionate about making a positive difference for those living with chronic bleeding disorders.
Cindy was responsible for the vision, leadership, advocacy and strategic direction of the Arizona Hemophilia Association (AHA) for 15 years. She first joined the board of directors where she served as Vice-President and President before becoming the Executive Director and ultimately the CEO. Cindy wrote the business plans and founded the Arizona Bleeding Disorders Health and Wellness Center (ABDC), My Neighborhood Primary Care (MNPC), AVASA RX, and Get Infused Infusion Suite. All provide a perpetual revenue stream that is reinvested back into AHA to fund the programs and services at AHA. During her tenure, AHA tripled the revenue and quadrupled the staff and the programs that the AHA provides to the Arizona community.
Cindy came up with the concept, wrote the grants and established the NOW (National Outreach for von Willebrand’s Disease) Conference and Fundfusion (National Fundraising Conference for Hemophilia chapters). She expanded programming, increased funding, and served as the chair for NACCHO (North American Camping Conferences for Hemophilia Organizations) the past 12 years. Cindy has been progressive and innovative in developing new funding sources and opportunities. She has received grants from BHHS Legacy Foundation and Thunderbird Charities to develop AVASA RX, a pharmacy that provides the medications for those with chronic bleeding disorders and other infusion therapies.
Cindy attended graduate school at Thunderbird International School of Management where she obtained a Master’s Degree in Business and International Management. Prior to joining AHA, she worked for 18 years in business development, sales, and insurance. She loves serving nonprofit organizations where each day she can help make a difference in the lives of others. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 3 kids and her husband.
Cindy Komar
Executive Director
Tami Gilbertson
Development Director
Tami is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 25 years of experience advancing healthcare, rare disease research, and integrative medicine initiatives. She has a proven record of building sustainable fundraising infrastructures, securing multi million dollars, corporate sponsorships and producing high-profile events featuring national celebrities. Her career highlights include leading transformational development efforts for organizations such as Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, the Goldie Hawn Foundation, Good Samaritan Society, and the Acus Foundation.
Skilled in cultivating long-term donor relationships, managing national networks, and leveraging technology for strategic growth, Tami combines professional expertise with personal insight as the parent of two adult sons with rare diseases—bringing passion, empathy, and unwavering commitment to improving lives worldwide.
Tami Gilbertson
Development Director
Jenn Brockway-Peirce
Program Manager
Jenn started her career in radio and television before moving into the non-profit sector, where she worked for several years at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm’s Horse and Farm Animal Shelter. More recently Jenn worked on a contract basis for an educational publishing company and as a aide at her children’s school. She joined Save One Life in September of 2018. Jenn is happy to be back working for a non-profit with such a meaningful cause. She is excited to grow our programs to help as many people suffering from blood disorders as possible.
Jenn earned a BA in Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She lives in West Newbury, MA with her husband, two kids and dog.
Jenn Brockway-Peirce
Program Manager
Kristy Burns
Finance & Operations Manager
Kristy began her career as an internal auditor at a large insurance company. This introduced her to financial controls and an understanding and passion for corporate efficiency, ethics and a solid control environment. After having her first child, she began working part time and took on the role as controller of the US operations of an international software company for five years. She also spent a few years in the public accounting environment, as a manager of accounting services. Save One Life is Kristy’s first experience in the non-profit environment. She joined Save One Life in 2015. As the mother of two young boys, Save One Life’s mission spoke to her and she is happy to be part of an organization that assists children in need.
Kristy earned her Bachelors in Business Administration, with a minor in Applied Statistics, from Bryant. She lives in Lynnfield, MA with her husband and two sons.
Kristy Burns
Finance & Operations Manager
Ariana Bellan
Comms & Fundraising Coordinator
Ariana started her career as a fine artist, until she joined the Save One Life team in 2023 as an Administrative Assistant. Now she is our Communications and Fundraising Coordinator. Ariana is thrilled to be able to use her creativity for such an amazing cause. She loves having the opportunity to share our mission through our social media, marketing and events!
Ariana graduated from Umass Lowell in 2022 with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Art History. Ariana lives in Andover, MA with her partner. On her free time, she does freelance photography and design.
Ariana Bellan
Comms & Fundraising Coordinator
Traci Massimi
Administrative Assistant
Traci is the Administrative Assistant at Save One Life, where she supports the team’s mission with a heartfelt commitment to service. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders from Salem State University and has previously worked in educational and therapeutic settings, where she developed a passion for helping children overcome challenges and reach their potential. Joining Save One Life was a natural next step—another meaningful way to make a positive impact in the lives of children. Outside of work, she enjoys practicing yoga, exploring hiking trails, and spending time with family.
Traci Massimi
Administrative Assistant
Fay Gill
Program Assistant
Fay retired in 2017 from her 34-year career managing royalty distributions at a not-for-profit copyright compliance organization. In 2019, she began volunteering for Save One Life. She was grateful for the opportunity to help young people around the world with hemophilia. In January, 2021, Fay became a part-time member of the Save One Life team as Program Assistant.
Fay has a B.A. from Syracuse University. She lives with her husband in West Newbury, Massachusetts. They have one son who is married and has two young daughters. Fay and Russ enjoy spending one day a week playing with, and caring for, their granddaughters.
Fay Gill
Program Assistant
Usha Parthasarathy
India Program Coordinator
Usha has had a long career in hemophilia, starting in 1986 when she helped Ashok Verma establish Hemophilia Federation (India). She traveled to many locations as the vice president of development for HFI, helping patients and parents organize into HFI chapters and playing a key role in helping to raise the standard of treatment and social acceptance of hemophilia. In 2009, four years after leaving HFI, Usha generously agreed to serve in a volunteer capacity as the India program coordinator for Save One Life. She has been instrumental in realizing Save One Life’s mission in India–enrolling new program partners, monitoring programs and raising the visibility of our work.
Usha comes from Chennai in Tamil Nadu and received her bachelor’s degree from Madras University. She is the daughter of a father and mother of a son with hemophilia, who lives with his wife and two girls in Pennsylvania.
Usha Parthasarathy
India Program Coordinator
Board Of Directors
Our board helps guide the mission, keep priorities clear, and make sure Save One Life stays accountable and effective.
Michelle Lee Kim
President
Michelle is a champion for the rare disease and bleeding disorder communities. As Executive Director of the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California (2015-2022), she launched over 10 programs, including leadership initiatives for youth, and earned the title of Businesswoman of the Year for Non-Profits in 2019. She also helped create the largest Spanish-speaking bleeding disorders conference, Familia de Sangre, and developed legal resources for patients, covering areas like school advocacy, trusts, and immigration.
Michelle co-authored the article “Lived experience experts: A name created by us for us”, advocating for the inclusion of patient and caregiver voices in research. Her personal commitment stems from her 20 years of caring for her daughter, who was diagnosed with five rare diseases, until her passing in March 2024.
Previously, Michelle worked as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and founded the Asylum Project. She also clerked for federal judges, including Hon. Evan J. Wallach. Recently, she transitioned to the entertainment industry as COO of Deep C Digital, a film distribution company. Michelle resides in Southern California with her husband and two sons, one of whom has severe hemophilia A. She enjoys pickleball, fishing, and traveling.
Michelle Lee Kim
President
Kevin Mills
Treasurer
Kevin Mills has his PhD in Biology and is currently the co-founder and chief scientific officer for ZubiBio, a startup biotechnology company. Prior to ZubiBio Kevin was the Chief Scientific Officer at the National Hemophilia Foundation (now the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation). He previously co-founded another biotech company, Cyteir Therapeutics, and was an associate professor of biology at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Kevin grew up in Denver, Colorado and is a lifelong fan of Denver’s sports teams. After college he moved to New England for graduate school and has lived in either the Boston area or in Maine ever since.
Kevin Mills
Treasurer
Patrick Shaughnessy
Secretary
Patrick Shaughnessy is a non-profit executive who was instilled with a passion for helping underprivileged communities at an early age. As a teenager, Patrick began volunteering at a camp for people with a wide range of intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. Being inspired by the campers and the joy that they received from the camp, he took on management roles, ran fundraising events, and joined the Friends of Fatima advisory board. Now 30 years later, he continues to volunteer at the camp and, for the past 13 years, has chaired the board.
After spending his career in sales and business development roles, in 2019, Patrick was given an opportunity to blend his experience with his passion for advocating for people with disabilities and took on the role of State Director for Best Buddies in MA and RI. He currently serves as Senior Director of Best Buddies’ largest global fundraising event, the Best Buddies Challenge.
Patrick was lucky enough to join Save One Life on a trip to Nepal and Mt. Everest base camp in 2023. In meeting many of the supported children, visiting the hospitals where they are treated, and hearing both the hardships of their day-to-day lives along with their aspirational dreams, Patrick felt the same inspiration to help the hemophilia community that he had as a teenager at camp.
Outside of work, Patrick is an avid skier, cyclist, an occasional triathlete, and a one-time marathoner.
Patrick Shaughnessy
Secretary
Milton Kerstein Esq.
Milton is managing partner of Kerstein, Coren, & Lichtenstein, located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is a specialist in the field of regulatory, administrative, education and employment law, as well as in the field of criminal and civil law. Milton is a founding member of Save One Life, and he also serves as general counsel to Planet Aid Inc., which assists developing nations worldwide.
Milton earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School.
Milton Kerstein Esq.
Natalie Lynch
Natalie became both aware and interested in the bleeding disorders community after meeting her husband, Patrick James Lynch, who has severe hemophilia A. She soon became an active advocate in the community. She has traveled to both Asia and South America with the World Federation of Hemophilia and Believe LTD for production of videos that highlighted and advocated the discrepancies of care in developing countries. Natalie co-hosts BloodStream, a popular and informative monthly podcast for the bleeding disorders community. Her deep passion for health advocacy includes maternal health, as she is a licensed doula. She also attends monthly board meetings at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to improve the patient experience. Natalie believes healthcare is a right and will not stop advocating until all humans have access to affordable, safe and quality care. Natalie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Hunters College in New York.
Natalie Lynch
Marelle Hart
Marelle has extensive communication experience, having worked for various international organizations including Doctors without Borders and International Dialogues Foundation. For several years she also worked as a freelance journalist for the Dutch Press Agency and Haarlem’s Daily, among others. Throughout her career, she has volunteered for charities such as the Red Cross and the World Peace Forum. Marelle has travelled extensively to the most needy parts of the world. Coming from a family with hemophilia, Marelle joined Save One Life in 2016 and is glad now to use her expertise to support other hemophilia families who are in more need.
Marelle holds a Master’s Degree in International Communication from the University of Amsterdam. Her internship took place at Radio Netherlands World Service and her thesis focused on the situation for journalists in Uganda. She lives in Germany with her husband and two sons.
Marelle Hart
Vanessa Salinas, M.D.
I was born and raised in Peru where I went to medical school. I moved to US to pursue higher education and completed my pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I have been involved with the hemophilia community since my fellowship. In 2011 the CHLA Hemophilia Treatment Center was accepted to participate in a twinning program in Arequipa, Peru, my hometown. This experience opened my eyes to how different the care and quality of life of people affected with hemophilia is in underdeveloped countries.
Currently I work at Hemophilia Treatment Center at the Center for Inherited Blood Disorders (CIBD). I enjoy taking care of patients and families with hemophilia and other ultra-rare bleeding disorders. I like to educate my patients and empower them through knowledge and education. In my free time I like to spend time with my family, we like hiking, fishing and playing board games.
Vanessa Salinas, M.D.
Debbie de la Riva
Ambassador Coordinator
Texas, United States
Debbie de la Riva is the Ambassador Program Coordinator at Save One Life. She has a son with hemophilia and has been an active member of the bleeding disorders community for over 30 years. She previously served as Executive Director of the Lone Star Bleeding Disorders Foundation and has participated on several national committees.
Debbie is also a licensed professional counselor and is regarded as a community expert on the mental health aspects of living with a bleeding disorder. She first connected with Save One Life by sponsoring three children and has witnessed firsthand the positive impact the organization has had on their lives.
Debbie believes deeply in the mission and capabilities of Save One Life and has seen the transformation that occurs when someone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Her goal is to raise awareness about the challenges faced by children living with bleeding disorders in under-resourced countries and to create opportunities for individuals in the United States to make a meaningful difference in their lives.
Debbie de la Riva
Ambassador Coordinator
Texas, United States
Tamarrow Mitchel
Chicago, United States
Tamarrow Mitchell is a highly motivated musician with a comprehensive background in performance, music composition, and arrangement. He has experience as a soloist for over a year in a variety of events. He is striving to better himself, not only as a musician but as a person who is very eager to experience and learn throughout life. He plans to mold hearts and minds to see brighter sides of things, withstanding any situation that could arise in a person’s life. Through his music, he will express lively things that many people can relate to.
Tamarrow believes the action of helping others is an amazing thing. He was intrigued by meeting and assisting others who are like him with a rare bleeding disorder in the world.
His aspirations with this program are to push himself and his peers to reach as many people as possible to sponsor children or even provide medicine to donate.
Tamarrow Mitchel
Chicago, United States
Aamina Aftikhar
Chicago, United States
Aamina Iftikhar is a social worker at a local hospital, where she finds purpose in guiding individuals and families through moments of crisis with empathy and resilience. Outside of work, she is a mom to three energetic boys. She finds peace in spending time outdoors, whether it’s going for quiet hikes, taking trips with her family, or cooking meals they can all enjoy together.
She was inspired to get involved because of Save One Life’s commitment to raising awareness and support for the international bleeding disorders community.
Aamina believes in the core principle of Save One Life: changing the world by helping one person at a time. By sharing these stories, she hopes to show how just one sponsorship or grant can create a ripple effect that touches not only one life, but also their family and community.
Aamina Aftikhar
Chicago, United States
Fara Pavri
New Jersey, United States
Farah Pavri is a senior at Drexel University studying mechanical engineering. After she graduates, she hopes to work at a medical manufacturing facility. In her free time, she enjoys listening to various artists on Spotify and playing games with friends. Her brother has severe hemophilia, and she is a carrier.
She was inspired by the work that Save One Life does. Her family has given to their programs before. While her friends outside of the bleeding disorders community would ask, “What is a bleeding disorder?”, her friends in the community would ask, “What’s Save One Life?”
Her goal for this program is to bring more awareness about Save One Life and its mission to the bleeding disorders community.
Fara Pavri
New Jersey, United States
Daniel Cruz
California, United States
Daniel Cruz is a person with Severe Hemophilia A and has been involved with the bleeding disorders community over the course of 10 years, volunteering in various in-state and out-of-state chapter events, numerous hemophilia camps, and passionately participating in legislative advocacy opportunities both in California and Washington, D.C. He has also participated in clinical trials for new and emerging products, and shares his story as a patient speaker, discussing his journey and the impact hemophilia has had on his life.
Daniel is inspired by families who face numerous hardships in accessing medication and treatment while living in rural areas. Their stories are reminiscent of his own family’s journey, and he often contemplates the hypothetical scenario: “If my parents never immigrated to the U.S., would I be in the same situation these families are in?” This realization propels him to take action and become involved with Save One Life’s mission.
Daniel’s family comes from a rural village in Oaxaca, Mexico. After seeing the tremendous success and reach of Save One Life, he would like to expand that network into Mexico’s rural population. His parents have shared folktales about “cursed” children from their village who passed away at an early age due to “unexplained, prolonged bleeding.” His goal is to investigate the real possibility of undiagnosed individuals in these rural areas and help Mexico’s national chapter (Federación de Hemofilia de la República Mexicana, A.C.) facilitate the process of securing and shipping donated factor medication, with the help of any local state organizations or networks.
Daniel Cruz
California, United States
Richard Williams
Montana, United States
Richard Williams is married, retired, and the father of seven children, one of whom has severe Hemophilia A. He was inspired to get involved with Save One Life out of deep respect for his late second wife, who carried their twin sons for eight and a half months. She passed away from cancer when the surviving twin was just five years old.
Richard hopes to share his experiences with other parents to help them cope with the challenges of raising a child with a bleeding disorder. He also hopes to encourage others to sponsor children with hemophilia in under-resourced countries.
Richard Williams
Montana, United States
Naomi Giron
California, United States
Naomi Giron is a 21-year-old dedicated Communication Studies major at UC Davis with a passion for advocacy and leadership. As the oldest of three siblings and a proud Salvadoran and Mexican individual, she has embraced roles that allow her to support and guide others in the hemophilia community—such as working as a camp counselor. Living with Mild Hemophilia A has shaped her commitment to making a difference, particularly as an advocate for women with bleeding disorders. She was a swimmer and recently practiced jiu-jitsu.
Naomi was inspired to join the Save One Life Ambassador Program because of her own experience struggling to receive proper treatment simply because she is a woman. She wants to help others around the world who don’t have access to the medication they need. Her goal is to raise awareness about bleeding disorders, educate others, and ultimately save lives by inspiring change through advocacy and understanding.
Her goals and aspirations for this program are to help others understand what it’s like to live with a bleeding disorder, raise awareness, and advocate for access to proper treatment for people around the world. She also hopes to educate and inspire others to become informed, compassionate allies in this community.
Naomi Giron
California, United States
Shanthi Hedge
Georgia, United States
Shanthi Hegde (she/her/hers) is in her fourth year at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, studying Psychology and Biology with a minor in History. In the future, she plans to work in patient advocacy, pursue a Master of Public Health, and eventually attend medical school. She grew up in Georgia, and has lived with bleeding issues for as long as she can remember. However, it wasn’t until she was 19—between her first and second years of college—that she was diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, after experiencing eight months of continuous bleeding.
Shanthi is passionate about advocating for and raising awareness of bleeding disorders. She is dedicated to supporting individuals facing these challenges and is particularly motivated to give back to the Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) community, which has been instrumental in her education on bleeding disorders. Inspired by last year’s Patient Fly-In, Shanthi is eager to deepen young adult involvement and make a meaningful impact.
Shanthi Hedge
Georgia, United States
Eliza VanZweden
Michigan, United States
Eliza VanZweden has Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia and is 26 years old. She works as a research scientist in animal health. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and hiking with her dog, Rocky. Although she was diagnosed with GT shortly after birth, she only began getting involved in the bleeding disorders community over the past five years, which has led to many amazing experiences with her local chapter and beyond.
Attending her first World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) program really opened her eyes to the struggles people with bleeding disorders face around the world. Left untreated, many experience extreme disability and constant suffering, while access to prophylactic therapies in the United States allows many patients to live an almost normal life without having to think about their hemophilia. Seeing this disparity made her want to get involved and do everything in her power to help people around the world.
Eliza hopes to build awareness around Save One Life’s multiple programs that support the global bleeding disorders community, and to encourage her community to sponsor or donate. In meeting the other ambassadors, she can already tell they are an amazing group of advocates and hopes to form friendships with them as well.
Eliza VanZweden
Michigan, United States
Join the U.S. ambassador team!
Interested in learning more about U.S. ambassador opportunities?
Marelle Hart
EU Development Liaison
Germany
Marelle Hart is the Europe Liaison of Save One Life. She holds a Masters Degree in International Communication from the University of Amsterdam. She then worked for various international organizations, such as Doctors without Borders and International Dialogues Foundation. For several years she also worked as a freelance journalist, among others for Radio Netherlands World Service and the Dutch Press Agency. Due to her work, she traveled extensively to the most challenging parts of the world. Throughout her career she has been involved voluntarily with many charities such as the World Peace Forum and the Red Cross. Marelle joined Save One Life as a volunteer in 2016 and is glad to use her expertise to support hemophilia families. Marelle was born and raised mainly in the Netherlands and partly in California. Presently she lives with her husband and two children in Germany, near the border of Luxembourg. Marelle is a mother of two sons with severe hemophilia B.
Marelle Hart
EU Development Liaison
Germany
Ana van Schalkwyk
Netherlands
Ana van Schalkwyk is a Product Designer in the software industry, trained with a BA in Business Administration. Although originally from Brazil, Ana is now based in the Netherlands, and a mother of a son with severe hemophilia. She has witnessed hemophilia first hand in a developing country, and the evolution of treatment options over the past 30 years. Being part of Save One Life for her means contributing towards a world where better quality of life and opportunities are available for all. Ana speaks fluent Portuguese and English.
Ana van Schalkwyk
Netherlands
Lila Mann
United Kingdom
Lila Mann has spent decades in healthcare market research, working in rare diseases, collaborating with patients, carers, medical professionals, commissioners, and payers worldwide. During her partner’s illness over the past 10 years, she adapted her working practices and created social media content for healthcare clients, specializing in rare diseases like hemophilia. Lila Mann created and managed a large panel of hemophilia patients and family members, providing them with the latest news and answering their questions. Her friendships and associations with patients and carers dealing with bleeding disorders have greatly enriched her understanding and commitment to this field. She is based in London and is bilingual French-English.
Lila Mann
United Kingdom
Gianluca Sottilotta
Italy
Gianluca Sottilotta is a consultant haematologist at the Haemophilia Centre of Reggio Calabria in Italy. Fields of interest include: diagnosis and treatment of haemophilia and others bleeding disorders, improvement of quality of life in hemophiliacs, spreading knowledge and awareness of hemorrhagic diseases, carrying out projects for psychological and social assistance for hemophilia patients and their families. In the recent past, he ideated, published and distributed in several countries around the world a magazine called Hemonline, with the aim of sharing the stories of people with hemophilia of different nationalities. He has also collaborated with several associations: Hope and Life Foundation and Hemohermanos in North and South America, with the Paracelsus Foundation in Italy, always trying to offer his skills for the improvement of health, social and psychological assistance to those in need. He is strongly convinced that the awareness of congenital bleeding disorders and the improvement of patients’ psycho-social quality of life are as important as good medical care.
Gianluca Sottilotta
Italy
Join the EU ambassador team!
Interested in learning more about EU ambassador opportunities?
Become a corporate sponsor!
Interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities?
Corporate Sponsors
Our corporate sponsors help fund programs, campaigns, and direct support for beneficiaries and families.
FFF Enterprises supports Save One Life by backing programs that help families access the care, treatment, and resources they need.
Supporting Programs:
Sanofi supports Save One Life by helping fund programs that improve quality of life and expand access to care worldwide.
Supporting Programs:
Takeda supports Save One Life by keeping programs funded and moving forward to support bleeding disorder communities.
Supporting Programs:
Genentech supports Save One Life by funding programs that expand care and treatment for bleeding disorder families.
Supporting Programs:
Roche supports Save One Life by helping fund programs that improve access to care, treatment, and support for affected families.
Supporting Programs:
Become a Corporate Sponsor Today
Align your brand with global health impact through sponsorship that supports programs for people with bleeding disorders around the world.
Become a Sponsor
Thank You To Our Collaborating Partners
These organizations support Save One Life and help extend our mission through their communities. We thank our Corporate Supporters for making this work possible.
