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| poster - Sickle Cell Anemia |
"Some may ask why sickle cell should be a topic of discussion among people of color. The reason is simple. Sickle cell disease almost exclusively affects people of African descent and is our most common genetic disorder.
One in twelve African-Americans currently has the Sickle Cell Trait; children of two parents with the trait have a 25% chance of inheriting the disease. One in five hundred African-Americans has the disease, an estimate of 90,000 to 100,000 people according to the Center of Disease Control (CDC). Sickle cell requires continuous medical attention beginning at infancy to decrease the risk of stroke, organ damage and even death.
The disease distorts red blood cells, causing them to become sickle-shaped, which prohibits proper oxygen flow throughout the body. This produces what is call a sickle cell crisis resulting in agonizing pain from the body’s attempt to pass oxygen in small blood vessels, leaving the youngest patients hospitalized and requiring medications as powerful as morphine. In addition, many patients require blood transfusions that help prevent stroke and reduces pain. However, blood from people of African ancestry is needed in order to give sickle cell patients the best chance at survival" - anon
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| collage of famous Black Americans |
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