Jan Golec

This Spotlight appeared in our March 2024 newsletter.

Please introduce yourselves and describe your connection to VWD Connect.

I am Jan, I have had VWD3 with many severe manifestations throughout my entire life. I’ve been with the Foundation since its inception. Even before it was formally announced I knew from Jeanette that something was going to happen. My wife Zuzanna and I came to the first conference in 2017 and it was a revelation.

Being with people who understand what I am going through so naturally and instinctively is amazing. It is wonderfully therapeutic. Nobody is trying to pretend or hide anything, we are just ourselves. Since then we have participated in all the conferences, except for one, when I was unable to attend due to Covid (I
suppose it should be considered an excused absence).

My wife and I live in Yonkers, New York. Both of us were born in Poland and we came to the U.S. in 1986. I like being so close to New York City and its many attractions. On the other hand I miss the countryside and the mountains. I grew up in a small town in southern Poland with beautiful mountains, hills all around, a river and plenty of fresh air. I went to school, studied and worked in Cracow, a major town in southern Poland with many medieval churches and a strong presence of the past.

Zuzanna misses her town, Tarnow where she grew up, although she also lived in Cracow where she studied and worked.

What was it like growing up in Poland with severe VWD? Were you diagnosed early in life?

It wasn’t easy. My brother was diagnosed first, my diagnosis just followed his. I think I was two years old when they diagnosed a bleeding disorder. More specific diagnosis of VWD followed at the Hematology Institute in Warsaw. My dad was a real hero. He took it upon himself – it was so painful for my mom that she usually did not go to the hospital with us except to give blood. I had her blood type and my brother our father’s. But she always came to take us back home when the bleeding episodes were over. These were the happiest days in my life. I remember the joy until today.

My life is a history of bleeding disorders treatment: fresh blood, antihemophilic factor, cryoprecipitate, factor concentrates. I hope to see the next, even better treatment option in my life ...

Do you have any pets at home?

We have two cats, Kika and Fifa. I must admit it was my wife’s idea to have a cat and then two cats. I was not very enthusiastic at first but now I enjoy their gentle presence. (As I write these words, one of them is meowing and wants to go out).

What do you do for work? What do you do for fun?

I am a mathematician. I work at Fordham University in New York. I teach all math courses but most importantly Probability and Statistics. My research is in certain aspects of stochastic processes. It is in the intersection of pure and applied mathematics. Zuzanna teaches French, Spanish and Latin at a private high school for girls. She is a real linguist, she speaks five languages. 

I love classical music. A classical music station is on in our home all day long. My dream has been to play piano but somehow it has never been realized. My wife and I are opera fans. Living in New York, we go to the Metropolitan Opera. We choose a few operas per season and have a special night each time we attend. So far, since 2010, we have seen 51 operas.

I like driving the car, it relaxes me. Watching scenery change is great. Walking can be painful at times because of the joints but driving is never painful.

Besides, my real pleasure is reading math and trying to solve problems. Most of them are too hard to solve, but some are not and discovering the logic behind them is real fun.