Pottstown Red Cloud Kung Fu Club

rom clotting. Therefore a simple injury could prove life threatening for me. At the age of 24 I decided that I would not allow Hemophilia to affect my quality of life. A Shotokan school that had recently opened in my neighborhood, welcomed me with open arms and I eagerly began extensive training. One year later I began to compete in local and citywide tournaments. I won numerous awards and within two years won the New York State Championship for my age group. Ironically I won the gold metal in the sparring competition. From that day I have never looked back at my life without the martial arts. In March of 2000, after a major interstate move to Pennsylvania, I began training in the Korean style of Tae Kwon Do and studied steadily for almost 2 years. This is where I began his internship as a Junior Instructor. That is until I attended a Kung-Fu class with Sifu Jamal El, that transformed my entire outlook of the Martial Arts. I began a physical, spiritual and most importantly a mental transformation into the traditional world of Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu. I feels that Kung- Fu is the foundation for a balanced, peaceful and healthy life. I believe that one can ever master the marital arts, the learning never ends and training takes more than one lifetime. I tells his students every chance I get that they are special because they know Kung Fu and therefore can do something most people can't. My motto is "never say you can't-you can if you really want to." I also volunteer one week of my vacation time each year to teach kids Kung Fu. However, these are no ordinary kids, they are all either afflicted with Hemophilia and/or HIV. Many of these children have contacted the HIV virus through tainted blood transfusions and plasma infusions they endure daily. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that does not allow the blood to clot. A simple cut can be life threatening. I travel from Pennsylvania to Arizona each year to Camp Honor, a camping program that began in 1994 by The Hemophilia Association. This program was started to provide life skills to children with bleeding disorders a much needed break from the strains of this chronic illness. It's a chance for those robbed of their childhood to gain back some much needed fun. Hemophiliacs are warned to stay away from any physical activity which can cause injuries, especially those that can cause bleeding. I have put together a special non-contact Kung Fu program so that these kids can safely participate without the worries of hurting themselves. I have Thrombophilia, an extremely rare form of Hemophilia, but that didn't stop me from training in many forms of martial arts.