Along with blog posts, social media chats, and rockin' our red in support, traditional media such as television and radio can help sickle cell awareness efforts reach an even wider audience, an audience that may not know the truths about SCD. Here are three examples of sickle cell awareness hitting the airwaves in the past week:
1. BET's "The Rundown with Robin Thede"
On Thursday, April 12, this BET late night show aired a segment called "Pain and Prejudice." Interspersing light humor (it's a comedy show, after all) with facts, the segment addressed how doctors often don't take the pain Black patients are experiencing seriously, and they used the experience of sickle cell warrior Cassandra Trimnell (who's also the executive director of Sickle Cell 101) to explain this bias. "I don't know any other patient populations that have as much of a struggle getting pain medication as sickle cell patients, and a lot of people suspect it's because it's labeled as a 'Black disease,'" she said on the show. Watch the segment below:
2. Britain's Got Talent
Over the weekend, the B-Positive choir auditioned for Britan's Got Talent, giving them a huge platform to discuss sickle cell disease. The choir, which received yeses across the board, is the official choir of NHS Blood and Transplant and is made up of members who have sickle cell themselves or have family members or friends who do. "The NHS Blood and Transplant wants to get the message [out that] everybody give blood. That's what we're about," the choir director told BGT's judges. Watch their performance below:
3. The Tom Joyner Morning Show
Today, April 18, TJMS tackled sickle cell and the importance of African-American bone marrow donors for it's #GetWellWednesday segment. Specifically, they spoke with 8-year-old Darian Smith and his family. Darian needs a bone marrow transplant to live a healthier life. Read more about his story here.
? #TuneIn alert!
— DKMS US (@DKMS_us) April 18, 2018
Tomorrow, tune into the @TJMShow. Tom Joyner will be on with Darian and his family for #GetWellWednesday to discuss #sicklecell and the importance of diversity to the #bonemarrowdonor pool. #TJMS airs at 6:30 AM EST / 5:30 CSThttps://t.co/MHuPJhZtlV pic.twitter.com/Lun5nmXtNE
