New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ four-year-old daughter in hospital with rare blood condition

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has taken a leave of absence from work to care for his four-year-old daughter, who is unwell in hospital.

Mr Hipkins left work early on Wednesday to care for his eldest child.

The Labor leader revealed in a Facebook post that his children have von Willebrand’s disease, an often chronic condition where the blood doesn’t clot properly.

“Normally I don’t talk about my kids publicly because I want them to grow up out of the public spotlight, but sometimes it’s unavoidable,” he said.

“Today my four year old is in the hospital for some needed treatment so while that is happening I will be working from the hospital for the rest of the day while I focus on her.

‘Everything is OK. I’m going back to work soon, but I want to thank my colleagues for fulfilling some appointments in the next few days that I will have to miss.’

Mr. Hipkins, who divorced his wife Jade last year, shares and co-parents two children.

Mr. Hipkins thanked the blood donors in his post.

“Many New Zealanders rely on the generosity of those who give blood,” he said.

“Thanks to all those who help people like my little girl.”

Von Willebrand disease is believed to affect one in a thousand people, with varying degrees of severity.

While life-threatening bleeding disorders such as severe hemophilia, which mainly affect males, are typically diagnosed at birth, mild von Willebrand disease and hemophilia can go undetected for years because they typically cause few day-to-day symptoms. In mild cases, the bleeding eventually stops because the clotting factor is still low in patients.

Still, they can increase the risk of excessive bleeding during surgery, tooth extractions, injuries and childbirth, and cause fatigue and anemia (a lack of iron in the blood) and heavy periods.