Dear Editor,

In our community, together with others in communities across the nation and around the world, we are standing up and speaking out to increase awareness about sickle cell disease. We desire to build support networks, raise critical resources, strengthen our collective resolve to advocate for access to care for sickle cell warriors and support research for a universal cure for sickle cell disease.

World Sickle Cell Day is commemorated every year on June 19. We are sounding the alarm to alert the global public about sickle cell disease. With our arms linked together, we promote the necessity of early diagnosis of sickle cell, its treatment and preventative tips to avoid the ailment.

The global theme for World Sickle Cell Day is “Building and Strengthening Global Sickle Cell Communities, Formalizing Newborn Screening and Knowing Your Sickle Cell Disease Status.” This theme reflects a call to recognize the first step: understanding the genotype in infants and adults fighting sickle cell. Across the world, parents usually discover their genotype status of affinity toward sickle cell disease only when they have children.

Parents are informed at birth if their newborn has sickle cell disease or sickle trait. If the newborn has sickle cell, their diagnosis and treatment options are explained to the parents. If the newborn has the trait, parents are told about that, but if the parents do not understand the implications of the trait, they disregard the information. This fact speaks to the importance of sickle cell awareness because the newborn with the sickle trait is a carrier, which is how the disease continues.

How can you help?

• Wear red on June 19 to show your support

• Know your sickle cell status. Get tested.

• If you have the sickle cell trait, you are a carrier; therefore, when considering family planning, know your special person’s sickle cell status.

• Donate blood to support Sickle Cell Warriors in need of transfusions. Donating blood is a way to find out your sickle cell status. Log on to redcrossblood. org to find a donation site.

• Educate others about sickle cell and the sickle cell trait.

• Contact Tapestry Connections if you have sickle cell disease, as we are a community-based organization dedicated to making sure you know about all resources available to you so you can live well with sickle cell.

For more information, visit our website at www. tapestry connections.org.

Dr. Deloris Mitchell, Founder and Executive Director