Biography of A Silent Menace: Sickle Cell Disease

In a perfect world, we humans are born with a head, feet, and small smooth circles in our blood called red blood cells. These red blood cells have an important duty. They use their slick, disc shape to travel through tubes throughout our bodies (called blood vessels), delivering oxygen. They move effortlessly, without thinking (though they can't because they're missing a cell brain). Anyways, all was well in the land of blood vessels until a new type of cell invaded: a sickle cell.

As you grow from a cell into a human, you may steal some of your parents' physical traits. Just like you inherit these physical traits, you can also inherit traits that drastically change your entire life. For me, instead of something like silky hair, I inherited what's called Sickle Cell Disease (SCD for lazy people).

SCD by definition is "A group of disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down."

In my words, SCD is the menace to all bodies. Sickle cell disease causes a cell to be banana-shaped rather than circle. This "banana cell" can't carry oxygen well to organs like circle cells, so instead it decides to stick to other banana-shaped cells and clog the blood vessel from flowing anything, causing several problems in the body that last for life.

Inheriting an Invader

Micro-Cell = Mega-Damage?

What happens to people with SCD? Since the cell-who-must-not-be-named decided to clog blood vessels, this leaves organs without oxygen, and restricts blood in the body. Without blood or oxygen, the brain decides to send signs of this by causing severe pain in any or all areas of the body, but this is no regular pain. This pain can last days or weeks, keeping you awake for days straight (true story of mine).

But WAIT-there's more. In addition to pain, SCD can increase a poor human's risk of stroke, infections and inflammation in the body. Extreme temperatures are also dangerous to those living with SCD (this includes ice by the way @ all school nurses).

But wait-here's the kicker...SCD can bring anemia! Anemia is when your body is in dire need of some good ole iron (also carried in red blood cells). Anemia causes you to be:

dehydrated
tired
weak
light-headed
short of breath
jaundiced (yellow-toned skin)

and I'm just going to stop here because this is longer than my Amazon Wishlist.

The 'S'nake Trait

When you are born, you are assigned 2 genetic traits that determine how your body will work-or not. In a perfect world, a healthy human will have double 'AA' traits.

However, for someone not so lucky they may be born with an 'S' trait, also known as the Sickle Cell trait.

The picture with letters is called a pedigree and it shows how genetic traits like the Sickle Cell trait can slither down to your future children. If you have one 'A' trait and one Sickle Cell 'S' trait, this does NOT give you sickle cell disease. However, if the 'S' trait pairs with another 'S' trait or really any other trait that is not 'A', you have yourself Sickle Cell Disease.

So, those shapy figures with 'AS' only have the Sickle Cell trait and NOT the disease, while the poor shape with 'SS' has commonly the most severe form of the disease. While SCD can affect anyone, it mainly affects people of Latino, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, and Indian and Mediterranean descent. Males and Females are equally affected by SCD.

Other forms of Sickle Cell Disease can be 'SC' (what I have) or even 'SD' and 'SE'.

To Cure or to Treat: The Ultimate Question

Sickle Cell Disease was known as incurable for years-until 1984. For this was the year when a sickle cell warrior was treated from their sickle cell for good after undergoing what's called a stem cell aka bone marrow transplant.

While this transplant cures a person from SCD, it is very risky and only an option for certain SCD patients.

Treating Sickle Cell on the other hand is easier and requires less 'transplant' and more 'transfusion', with blood transfusions being a good treatment for the disease. Taking medications such as hydroxyurea and anti-inflammatory pills like ibuprofen can help treat the pain and frequency of SCD complications as well.

You've learned what Sickle Cell Disease is, so you're officially in the know on it. But what can you do with this information, especially as a young minority? Believe it or not you can do a lot. On this next page will be a list of resources, organizations, and more ways you and can help those with Sickle Cell Disease. It will also give you resources on how you can find out your trait status. Remember, awareness is not a tool without action.

Now What?

Let's Go!