Sickle cell isn’t often talked about. That means that sometimes even people who have it don’t know things about how their blood carries oxygen, and why they get tired or feel pain. We summarize the medical knowledge for your understanding.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. These red blood cells may become sickle-shaped (crescent-shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Tissue that does not receive normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease. There is currently no universal cure for sickle cell disease.
Hemoglobin is the main substance of the red blood cell. It helps red blood cells carry oxygen from the air in our lungs to all parts of the body. Normal red blood cells contain hemoglobin A. Normal red blood cells that contain hemoglobin A is soft and round and can squeeze through tiny blood tubes (vessels). Normally, red blood cells live for about 120 days before new ones replace them.
People with sickle cell conditions make a different form of hemoglobin A called hemoglobin S (S stands for sickle). Red blood cells containing mostly hemoglobin S do not live as long as normal red blood cells (normally about 16 days). They also become stiff, distorted in shape, and have difficulty passing through the body’s small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can reach that part of the body. Parts of the body that don’t receive normal blood flow eventually become damaged. This is what causes the complications of sickle cell disease although some individuals may be eligible for a curative bone marrow transplant.
#30in30
In line with this year’s National Sickle Cell Awareness Month theme, “Sickle Cell Matters” we would love your support to expand our Speak for Sickle Cell initiative through the #30in30 campaign, we hope to help support warriors access affordable and mental and physical health support. Our target is to raise 30 million Ugandan shillings ($8000) in the next 30 days of September. And this will directly be used to bring closer healthcare, provide financial support to warriors in need, expand our support group, carry out out-reaches that will not only sensitise but educate the rural and urban communities on Sickle Cell Disease, while making the life of a warrior so much easier. Yes our goal is ambitious but we can not do it alone, we need your support to make a difference in the lives of warriors.
Raise UGX 30 Million in the next 30 days
Join Raremark Foundation in this cause to raise 30 million in the next 30 days that will go into supporting Sickle cell warriors in Uganda to access better mental and physical healthcare. Your contribution can make a big difference in their lives.