The Sick Cells Blog

This year, Sick Cells is celebrating Black History Month with its #YourBlackHistory series which aims to highlight the voices of Black sickle cell warriors, caregivers and advocates who are making history today through their advocacy work, commitment to service, and devotion to improving the lives of those in the community.

As part of the series, we’re spotlighting Mapillar Dahn — president and founder of MTS Sickle Cell Foundation, Inc. and the mother of three children who live with sickle cell — and her perspective on the sickle cell disease community’s unique needs.

The goal of Your Black History Month is to amplify the voices of Black sickle cell warriors, caregivers and advocates who are making history, today, through their advocacy work, commitment to service and devotion to improving the lives of those in the community. Throughout the month of February, Sick Cells will highlight five SCD advocates and their unique stories. #YourBlackHistoryMonth

This month, as we continue our series on complementary therapies, Sick Cells spoke with Sam Rodgers-Melnick, MT-BC, a music therapist and clinical researcher at University Hospitals Connor Integrative Health Network in Cleveland, OH.

Sick Cells interviews Brittany Butts about her experience with the Missouri-based program Kids Rock Cancer

Sick Cells interviews music therapist, Tracie Sandheinrich, about her experience working with adolescent sickle cell patients

There’s still work to do in the sickle cell community. After visiting the White House for a historic roundtable, Ashley Valentine writes about her experience and what’s to come.

Sick Cells took the time to speak with Jeffrey Zuttah and Terri Booker, Esq. Jeffrey is a sickle cell patient advocate and business professional who’s passionate about propelling the community forward at the local and national levels. Terri is a sickle cell advocate and lawyer working as a civil servant to her community of Philadelphia. As votes continue to pour in ahead of Election Day (Tuesday, November 3), they shared why they choose to vote.

After a December 2019 article on the cost of the two most recent sickle cell disease (SCD) treatments was highly criticized by members of the community, it became clear that knowledge on the disease, its types, and complications was disparate.

A collection of information about the FDA approved sickle cell treatments Endari™, Oxbryta™ and Adakveo®.

The Valentine family is hosting a blood drive in Lisle, IL on Saturday — Marqus’ birthday. The donations will go to Marqus’ home hospital, where he received many blood transfusions. Many patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) rely on blood transfusions for treatment.

The future could bring a world that fights to make sure people living with sickle cell, their parents, and their loved ones are told the story they deserve: a story of hope.

This month’s blog post is written in honor of Marqus Valentine, Co-Founder of Sick Cells, and it is with a heavy heart that we share the news of his passing. Marqus was a truly passionate and dedicated advocate for the sickle cell community who fought tirelessly to raise awareness of the realities of living with SCD. Though we are heartbroken by the loss of our fiercest warrior, we are dedicated to continue working with you all to fight medical injustice and improve the lives of those affected by SCD for generations to come.