My name is Sei, and I am a 17-year-old junior at Peninsula High School in Los Angeles County. I grew up always playing sports, and right now I play on the school's varsity football team as a cornerback and on the baseball team as an outfielder.

I first learned that I had ITP when I was 6 years old. I remember I would constantly have small scratches that turned into giant bruises, and I spent lots of time learning how to stop a bloody nose. My nose would bleed all the time – many times it would be in the shower, which would make it look much worse than it was.

Luckily, I've always had doctors that cared about my chronic ITP condition and taught my family and I how to deal with ITP. There were times when I would get blood drawn once per month, quarterly, bi-annually, and annually to monitor my conditions. These days, I only go to the hematologist once per year or when I'm in between sports and I need to make sure my blood platelet count is high enough to avoid any complications from bleeding during competition.

Through the years, more than worrying about having to be identified as a chronic ITP patient, I focus more on how I can stay on top of my condition. A few years ago, I discovered that whenever I had petechiae on my ankle area, that usually meant I had low platelet count. In those times, I would always sit out of practice or games and took my sweet time to make sure my blood platelet count would go up before I started playing again. So, I've learned that I like to play for fun and love to compete, but I always prioritize my health before sports. Living with ITP always keeps me prioritizing my health and goals. As I'm getting older, I'm learning more about ITP awareness and that is why I would like to share my story.