This summer is flying by and with all of the busyness and vacation fun, you've barely had a chance to keep up with what the sickle cell community has been talking about. We've got your back with a round up of 3 hot sickle cell topics in the news for July:
1) Swimming With SCD We all know the dangers associated with extreme temperature changes and sickle cell disease, and one of the main issues with summertime for warriors is swimming. To remedy this, London-based mom Shantel Brand is working toward developing swimming classes that can take place in a heated, hydrotherapy pool. Read more at the Sickle Cell Society.
2) There's An App For That Besides the VOICES Crisis Alert App, which was designed especially for people with sickle cell, more health apps have begun hitting the market. Here's a list of 5 that were highlighted by Johns Hopkins -- those with SCD may especially be interested in The I.V. Doc, an app that allows you to request on-demand hydration therapy. Read more at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
3) Sickle Cell At The Movies Since it's release back in June, the movie "Ted 2" has come under fire from many sickle cell warriors. At the same time, many others living with SCD haven't taken offense and see it as just another way to bring light to the disease. Another film, Lia, which follows the struggles of a UK teen trying to balance her disease with living a normal life, began screening in London this month. Read more at Eclectica Films Productions.
When writer/director Ethosheia Hylton started doing her own research on sickle cell, she realized just how important raising awareness for this disease is -- especially in the Black community. Her research ultimately led to the inspiration for her newest short film, "Lia," which follows a South London teenager as she tries to cope with her SCD and live life as a typical teen.
According to Hylton, "Lia is a 15-year-old girl living with the sickle cell disease, who craves nothing more than to be a normal teenager like her friends and everyone else. Her strict mother Jackie doesn’t let her do anything or go anywhere and Lia has had enough. One day she decides to do what she wants for a change, disobeying her mum and staying out late with her friends in the hope of seeing her secret crush Ryan. However, the day turns sour when Lia suffers a sickle cell crisis and is left to deal with the after effect of her choices."
Watch the trailer below and learn more about the movie by clicking here and following Hylton and Lia on Twitter.
