I was diagnosed with ITP when I was 10, and I am now 16. When I was first diagnosed, I had a real fear of needles, so all the blood tests really scared me.

I didn’t use “Buzzy” much but I loved being part of the POKE-R Club and receiving the poker chips each time I had to have a needle. It was exciting to receive a surprise gift in the mail each time I had enough chips! As the years went by, and my ITP was chronic, I got much better at having blood tests and recently switched from taking eltrombopag (Revolade) to doing N-plate injections once a week. It’s amazing to think how scared I was of needles, and now I give them to myself! The best part is now I get even more poker chips because I have to have more pokes! I’m not looking forward to out-growing my POKE-R club membership!