Pedro Fraire: a youth leader who walks the walk

Pedro Fraire is a resident of Despeñaderos, a small town near Córdoba in central Argentina. He lives with severe hemophilia and will celebrate his 21^st birthday in March. Fraire brings an amazing amount of energy to his favorite type of volunteer work: community outreach. Drawing inspiration from his “mum” and aunt—long-time volunteers with WFH national member organization the Hemophilia Foundation of Argentina—Fraire actively pursues better engagement with Argentine youth living with a bleeding disorder.

An inner light shines brightly when Fraire speaks about his community. You can feel his belief that the road to success in life lies in working together, celebrating the good times and supporting each other through the challenges that inevitably arise. Fraire notes that outreach is not easy work, but knowing you have a stable group of friends and family in your corner helps. This sense of community was evident when Fraire convened a national youth meeting on World Hemophilia Day in 2017. Fraire brought together young patients from across the country to discuss their concerns. Further motivated and encouraged by this experience, he sought out a deeper involvement and he believes he has found it at the crossroad of education and outreach.

Fraire’s experience at the Argentine national youth meeting taught him that the easiest way to open doors for outreach was by offering patients a chance to learn more about living with a bleeding disorder. He believes outreach efforts—in tandem with offering new information and educational resources—empower patients and their caregivers. This, combined with the knowledge that there is a supportive, vibrant community behind them, allows patients and their caregivers to become better advocates for better treatment. He happily notes he did not have to go far to find the necessary educational resources, thanks to the extensive and free-access WFH eLearning platform, which provides him with the resources he needs to make a difference. Thank you, Pedro, for stepping up and making our world a better place.