Bringing Awareness to Sickle Cell Disease
Severe pain, fatigue, and anemia are just a few effects of Sickle Cell-a disease that causes a lack of oxygen to the blood. Helen Howard has witnessed just how devastating the disease can be on those who suffer from it.
“I had a friend-a family friend as I was growing up-younger than I but who suffered greatly from this disease,” says Howard.
Howard is a volunteer at the Southeast Alabama Sickle Cell Association in Tuskegee. She says the disease sometimes flies under the radar.
“It’s not what some people would consider world wide or population wide,” says Howard.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that around a 100,000 Americans have the disease and millions of others world wide.
“Sickle cell is not a disease that you could look at someone and say “Oh, they have sickle cell,” says James Arrington, Director of the Southeast Alabama Sickle Cell Association.
Arrington says researchers are doing everything they can to ease the burden. Right now, bone marrow transplants is the only cure, which can be extremely costly for some patients starting at around $800,000.
“We lose a client occasionally and for us it’s very personal when you enter someone’s life and you begin to somewhat carry some of their burden, its very difficult to see the client expire,” says Arrington.
Newborns could also suffer.
“Severe complications can arise so it’s important to know if you are a carrier of the trait so you and your partner can get screened and tested to know the chances that your child could have the trait or sickle cell disease,” says Nicolette Patterson, a social worker at SEASCA.
Arrington says proper education is key.
“If you talk about it enough and get enough people interested then we will find a way to eradicate it,” says Arrington.
The Southeast Alabama Sickle Cell Association serves 12 counties. To learn about their efforts or how you can get involved, click here to visit their website.
