Your Committee
Cheryl Ellis, President
Hi everyone, my name is Cheryl Ellis and I have been a HFWA committee member since 2005. I am a carrier of the haemophilia A gene and have two sons with severe haemophilia A. I am a theatre-trained registered nurse and my husband Darren and I run our own swimming pool construction and renovation business. I believe it is important to keep up to date with information relevant to our community, whether it is to do with advances in treatments, products and services available to us to make our lives easier, or the rights of our members to live full and happy lives
Gavin Finkelstein, Vice President
Hi, I’m Gavin Finkelstein, I have severe haemophilia A and hepatitis C. I joined the HFWA Committee in 1995 and since then have become more and more involved in haemophilia issues in WA and around Australia. I have found joining HFWA to be a worthwhile experience, meeting some inspirational people and having the opportunity to discuss and share the many issues that haemophilia brings to our lives. It is up to us as a community to ensure that kids today and in the future receive the latest and best treatment that is available to enable them to achieve the best quality of life without haemophilia being an issue.
Michelle Dinsdale, Committee Secretary
Hi, my name is Michelle Dinsdale, I’m married to Mark and we have three sons, Sam, and fraternal twins John and Michael. Sam and John are affected with severe Haemophilia A.
Quite a few years ago I was the HFWA Office and Committee Secretary, while the kids were young and still needed me to be around to do school drop offs and pick-ups and sporting commitments etc. It worked well for me to be a part of the HFWA organisation way back then. However now after a long break I have decided to re-join the Committee to help out wherever I can and now I am back as the Committee Secretary for the 2023/24 year. I am looking forward to meeting new and old community members at upcoming events.
Neil Venn, Treasurer
My name is Neil Venn, check back in for more about me soon.
Darren Tull
Hi, I’m Darren Tull, Check back in for more about me.
Misha Pesnelle-Prout
My name is Misha and I live with Type 3 Von Willebrand Disease. As a professional interior designer, I have travelled and worked internationally, including many years in France. While there, I led the Von Willebrand Committee within the French Haemophilia Association. Our work focused on support for people living with Von Willebrand Disease and raising awareness in the community and medical community (gynecologists, dentists, and general practitioners). I have also acted as a patient advisor to the World Federation of Hemophilia within the VWD and Rare Bleeding Disorder Committee.
My personal experience has given me a deep understanding of the challenges and hurdles in each phase of life when living with VWD. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge, especially to support families of newly diagnosed individuals, and help them be well informed.
I am honoured to join the HFWA Management Committee and look forward to contributing my knowledge and experience to improve awareness, treatment, and support for people living with bleeding conditions in WA.
Dominic Dique
Julie Perkins
Ann-Maree Foran, Office Coordinator
Hi, I’m Ann-Maree and some of you know me from peer events, I am the office coordinator, I am not in the office currently but you can catch me by email. I like to be involved in the community, my two nephews have severe Haemophilia and I can’t think of a better community group to give my time to. So, I hope you are happy to have me, and I look forward to seeing you all at future events.