Every year, the Sickle Cell Disease Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act must be renewed, and on July 25, 2018, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) approved bill S. 2465 to go to the full Senate for consideration...
Music Therapy Pilot Study Gives More Evidence to Music’s Pain-Relieving Abilities
There's been clinically based evidence of music therapy benefiting sickle cell warriors for a little while now, but just recently, a pilot study on the subject went a bit further, showing that even just one session can help lessen a patient's pain and boost their...
Phi Beta Sigma and the SCDAA Have Partnered to Raise Awareness and Funds for Sickle Cell Disease
A couple of months ago, The Links Foundation, Inc. donated $1 million specifically for sickle cell research to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. And just 10 days ago, another prominent Black nonprofit -- this time a Greek organization -- announced its partnership...
Opioids, Sickle Cell, and the Latest Win on the Issue
Instead of improving over the years, the stigma associated with sickle cell warriors and pain medications has only gotten worse -- especially with the onset of this administration's focus on what they term the "opioid epidemic." Warriors are often dismissed as addicts...
5 Summer Reads for When It’s Too Hot to Actually be at the Beach
Even when the weather makes it too unbearable -- and too much of a crisis risk -- to bask in a chair seaside, you can still enjoy all the latest beach reads from the comfort of your air conditioning. Put your meditation app on calming beach waves, and settle in with a...
There’s Finally a Podcast Dedicated to Sickle Cell
PRESS PLAY ▶️ We have to preserve ourselves for the cure! Listen now to our very first episode, we are launched today on #WorldSickleCellDay. We are talking about the current state of #sicklecell. You can listen to The Sickle Cell Podcast on iTunes, Google Play,...
How to Raise Sickle Cell Awareness 365 by Starting a Book Club
Tomorrow is World Sickle Cell Day, but the only way to truly make an impact on SCD awareness is to make the efforts ongoing. We've shared a lot of ideas over the past few years about how to do just that, and in celebration of WSCD 2018, we're comin' at you with...
The FDA Wants to Hear from You. Here’s How to Make That Happen.
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would be holding a public meeting all about chronic pain, in hopes of learning, directly from people living with chronic pain, more about what patients go through and how treatment is given. As the date...
World Sickle Cell Day 2018 Awareness Campaigns You Can Start Now
June 19 is World Sickle Cell Day, but you don't have to wait until then to show your support and help raise awareness. Here are a few examples of what others are already doing leading up to World Sickle Cell Day 2018 to inspire you. 1. SHARE CREATIVE FUNDRAISING...
Sickle Cell Warriors in Cameroon Still Face Dangerous Prejudices and Labeling
We talk about the stigmatization of sickle cell here in the U.S., especially when it comes to doctors using biased language in their patient notes, which can affect the quality of a person's healthcare long-term. But in some countries, such as Cameroon, such stigma...
This Week in Sickle Cell News: Awareness, Perseverance, and Anti-Stigmatization
We're always scouring the internet and social media to find sickle cell questions that need answering, products that have recently been released, and topics that require more discussion -- all of which fuel our own article ideas. This week, we'd like to share our top...
Houston Teen Starts Nonprofit to Raise Awareness for Sickle Cell Disease
Hailey Fields is more proof that when it comes to making a difference in the world, it doesn't matter how old you are. Only 13, this eighth grader already has a multitude of accomplishments under her belt -- model, actress, beauty entrepreneur, and nonprofit CEO. The...
The Links, Inc. Donates $1 Million to St. Jude for Sickle Cell Research
Most of us know St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as the place that treats pediatric cancer patients at no charge to the family. But did you know the doctors at this hospital also treat kids with sickle cell (and other life-threatening diseases)? And they do it...
There’s a New Stem Cell Method That Has Cured Patients of Sickle Cell
Seven adult sickle cell warriors have officially been cured of the disease. And yes, it was done through the use of stem cells -- just not in the way you may think. Typically, in order for a person to undergo a stem cell transplant, their donor must be a family...
5 Ways to Unwind When Your Only Have a Few Minutes
You already know how much we believe in self-care and relaxation. It helps reduce stress, which in turn can lessen the occurrence of a crisis and the complications that come with it. But what if you don't have an entire day -- or even an hour -- to devote to such...