Dr. Lemetra Scott, CEO of Breaking The SSickle Cell Cycle Foundation, who discusses what sickle cell disease is and its prevalence and impact, her personal story with her son and how he describes the pain, the organization’s efforts around raising awareness and educational outreach, how people and healthcare professionals can get involved and become better educated, and more.
Breaking The SSickle Cell Foundation, Inc. was created to promote sickle cell disease (also referred to sickle cell anemia) and sickle cell trait awareness education within the community.
What is Sickle Cell Disease
- Healthy red blood cells are round and they move through small blood vessels carrying oxygen to all parts of the body.
- In SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”.
- Sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells.
- Sickle cells can get stuck in small blood vessels and block the flow of blood and oxygen to organs in the body. These blockages cause repeated episodes of severe pain, organ damage, serious infections, or even stroke.
Who is Affected
- It is estimated that SCD affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the United States, mainly Blacks or African Americans.
- The disease occurs among about 1 of every 500 Black or African-American births and among about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births.
- SCD affects millions of people throughout the world and is particularly common among those whose ancestors come from sub-Saharan Africa; regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy.
September is Sickle Cell Awareness month, follow us on social media channels for upcoming events.
Current initiatives:
- assisting sickle cell families that have been impacted by Covid-19 by way of food vouchers, mask, cleaning supplies or bill payment assistance.
BREAK THE CYCLE.
Learn more: http://btsscycle.org./
