What is Sickle Cell Disease?
SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”. The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious problems such infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.
In some cases, these individuals generally do not experience symptoms of the disease but can pass on this gene to their children and so forth.
Who Has Sickle Cell Disease?
In his interview with The List (April 2022), Ellis also discussed why he's so fervent about bringing awareness to sickle cell disease, and it will likely make you fall even more in love with the footballer-turned-actor. One of the biggest reasons Devale Ellis is passionate about sickle cell anemia awareness is in large part due to having a family, he told The List. Ellis explained that sickle cell disease has a genetic trait that can be found in one's blood even if they're not expressly suffering from it. "We found out that my wife has the sickle cell anemia trait, [and] if I have the sickle cell anemia trait, there's a large possibility that our sons could have sickle cell anemia or have the trait," he continued before adding that two of his sons are confirmed to have the trait.
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Furthermore, folks with the trait can suffer more from illnesses like COVID-19, Ellis revealed. "We dealt with COVID last year for my birthday actually, around this time the whole family got COVID and we noticed that [Khadeen] was feeling a little bit more lethargic than everyone else," he said. "We started doing research and people with sickle cell are affected [more] disproportionately with COVID than people who don't have it." Thankfully, he added that she experienced a full recovery from the virus.
Ultimately, Ellis' family continuously inspires him to help others.
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Donovan Peoples-Jones is a wide receiver and return specialist for the Cleveland Browns.
While Peoples-Jones does not himself have sickle cell disease, he is very aware of the challenges and disparities this disease presents. Peoples-Jones partners with Sickle Cell 101 through the NFL My Cause My Cleats Campaign to advocate for more education, research, and funding for sickle cell.
Ryan Clark always knew he carried the trait for sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder. However, he never imagined it would affect him in the dramatic way that it did. The former NFL safety was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2002 and went on to have a 13-year, Pro Bowl career. In addition to playing for the Washington Redskins, he spent eight years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including as a member of their Super Bowl XLIII championship team. However, in 2007, during a game in Denver, Clark experienced excruciating pain in his left side. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a spleen problem that turned out to be directly related to his sickle cell trait and which had been triggered by the high altitude. He ultimately had surgery to remove both his spleen and gall bladder, but was deactivated for all future games that were played in Denver.
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“It was really scary,” Clark recalled. “I had never been through anything like that. I didn’t know the severity. But then I kept getting sicker. I kept losing weight and I would get up in the night with fevers of 104 degrees. It was tough to deal with and it was tough on my family. It made me understand what people with sickle cell go through every day.” After losing 30 pounds, Clark eventually regained his health and his strength and continued with his football career, returning to the Steelers in 2008. But, Clark knew this was a cause he needed to take on and he launched Ryan Clark’s Cure League. His own experience wasn’t the first time he had been confronted with the severity of the disease. His best friend, whom he considers his brother, lost his wife to sickle cell anemia in 2009 - just one year after they were married.
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There will always be a personal aspect to his fight. Clark and his wife, Yonka, have three children, the youngest of whom, like Clark, has the sickle cell trait. Although only 10 years old, the Clarks are already educating her and her siblings on what the disease is all about and its ramifications.
For now Clark is excited about the work being done and the possibilities that exist once the Pittsburgh research facility is up and running. But he knows that in addition to raising awareness, people everywhere need help and guidance and he is eager for the doors to open and start effecting change.
“People need to know that when this research center is up and running it’s a place you can go for help.”
Moses Anthony Davis is a Jamaican dancehall deejay better known by his stage name, Beenie Man. Beenie Man and his son, Moses Jr., both have sickle cell disease. Beenie Man launched a foundation to help people, especially young people with sickle cell, Jamaica’s most common genetic disorder. Beenie man was awarded the Best Reggae Album during the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.
In the United States, approximately 100,000 people living with Sickle Cell Disease. Many more Americans as many as 2.5 million including 1 in 12 African-Americans are carriers for Sickle Cell (also called sickle cell trait or SCD). SCD affects African Americans, Hispanics and is common among those whose ancestors come from sub-Saharan Africa, regions in the Western Hemisphere, Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean countries. Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited disorder which constitutes a global public health problem.
SCD causes the destruction of red blood cells due to the presence of the abnormal hemoglobin's, resulting in anemia and Vaso-occlusion blocking of blood vessels by sticky and inflexible red blood cells. Children with Sickle Disease include early childhood deaths from infection stroke in young children and adults, infection of the lungs similar to pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, chronic damage to organs such as the kidney resulting in chronic kidney failure, and frequent severe painful episodes. These unpredictable, intermittent, devastating pain events can begin as early as six months of age and can span a lifetime, impacting school attendance and the workforce. Early detection and treatment have proven to be effective in preventing infections such as Pneumonia, Meningitis, and Sickle Cell related infants’ deaths.
In New York State, all newborn are routinely screened for Sickle Cell Disease & Trait. However, there remains a significant lack of progress in the broader public health and social issues of educational, vocational, support for personal, family and community relations, practitioner and public education and mental health aspects of the lives of these individuals. There is an emerging body of promising experimental and practice-based research that suggest improvements in the overall quality of life for persons with Sickle Cell Disease and their families can be achieved. However, the lack of resources for such efforts remains problematic. Prompt treatment for acute complications, along with counseling and support will enable individuals with sickle cell to live longer and healthier lives. Appropriate Diagnosis, Counseling, and Education are essential for the affected families and their children.
The way in which Sickle Cell Disease affects individuals varies. Most individuals suffer recurrent episodes of Pain & Hospitalizations, while others may have relatively few Sickle Cell related complications. Many individuals affected by the disease can experience acute painful episodes known as "Sickle Cell Crisis". Some people have pain "Crisis" over and over again.
The abnormal hemoglobin causes Red Blood Cells to become "sickle-shaped"' and therefore blocking the blood vessels, and causing pain and damage to the body, one of the many damages caused is a "stroke".
Stroke is one of the worst problems that Sickle Cell can cause. Sickle Cell Disease can also cause progressive damage to organs such as the Liver, Spleen, Kidney, and the retina of the Eye.
In an interview with Vibe in November 2000, Prodigy spoke about what inspired him to directly address his battle with sickle-cell anemia in his song "You Can Never Feel My Pain", from his debut studio album H.N.I.C. He attributes his nihilism to the "permanent physical suffering" caused by his lifelong battle with the condition.
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On June 20, 2017, it was reported that Prodigy had died at the Spring Valley Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, while hospitalized for complications related to his sickle-cell anemia. He was performing in the Art of Rap Tour in Las Vegas with Havoc, Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T when he was hospitalized.
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According to a coroner's report, Prodigy was admitted to Spring Valley Medical Center after suffering a significant medical episode arising from his life-long battle with sickle-cell anemia. Days later, on the morning of June 20, Prodigy was found unresponsive by hospital staff. It was reported at the time that Prodigy died from accidental choking. The complaint, which was filed on behalf of the family by The Gage Law Firm, alleges that the Spring Valley hospital breached their duty of care for Prodigy by "failing to maintain a working IV access," and by "failing to continuously monitor oxygen levels" as ordered by physicians in the hospital and that those failures led to Prodigy's death.
Miles Davis was an iconic trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who revolutionized jazz music. He was also a respected pioneer of the bebop, cool jazz, and fusion eras. Throughout his career, Davis was renowned for his impressive improvisational skill and adventurous recordings. Beyond these accomplishments, however, few are aware that he also suffered from sickle cell disease.
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The disease prevented him from touring after 1975, as the illness had incapacitated his legs causing great difficulty in performing on stage. Despite this challenge, Davis continued to record albums throughout his lifetime.