The sickle cell realities that rarely make the headlines

A disease that shapes every day Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that affects hemoglobin, the protein inside red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen. In people with the condition, hemoglobin forms rigid, crescent-shaped structures that cause red blood cells to become stiff, sticky, and fragile rather than the flexible, disc-shaped cells that […]
What is it like to live inside a body with sickle cell, where pain can arrive without warning

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder caused by a mutation in the gene encoding hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen. In people with this condition, the mutation causes red blood cells to form a rigid crescent shape rather than the flexible disc that allows normal red blood cells […]