Sickle Cell Disease is a serious condition that affects people around the world. The severity of health complications associated with it demands a need for increased knowledge and awareness.
World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is June 19. This annual event commemorates the date in 2008 when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing Sickle Cell Disease as a public health concern. World Sickle Cell Awareness Day provides an opportunity to awaken understanding of SCD and how it affects individuals and families worldwide.
This painful, life-threatening illness is estimated to affect more than 100,000 people in the U.S. and 2 million people worldwide. It’s the most frequently occurring genetic disease on earth. Life expectancy for persons with SCD is 48 years for women and 42 years for men.
The Heart of Gold Foundation of Northern Virginia Inc. works to fulfill the needs and dreams of individual and families who battle with Sickle Cell Disease.
Website: http://www.heartogold.org/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/HeartofgoldSc
Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/#!/Hearofgold11
Today, our new normal, is a day free from illness, free from the worry or stress of” what may happen if I get sick”. Today, we are no longer defined by our illness, but we will give new definition to living with one.
Clarissa Pearson
The Bohemian Home Journal 