Society and Sickle Cell

Abstract

The affects of Sickle Cell in the black community are far-reaching into the social, economic, medical and educational parts of the community. During my time in the University of Florida Shands Streetlight Volunteering Program I have been able to directly see how this disease affects of the lives of young people. My patients, who have become my friends, express to me their dire need of understanding by their healthcare providers and awareness by their peers. Sickle Cell is just as serious as cancer, Heart Disease or any other disease that is well known and whose research is well funded. The difference between Sickle Cell and many other diseases is the disproportionate amount of people of African-descent who live with this disease.

During this research, we will examine the ways that Sickle Cell has affected the lives of many people who live with the disease in, Gainesville, Florida. We aim to understand what Sickle Cell patients have to say about the healthcare they are provided with both by nurses and doctors, we are going to examine how living with this disease affects their educational career and professional careers. We plan to analyze how the disease affects their relationships with their family, friends and other peers and even how they are able to get to and from the hospital and other appointments that they may have. We will try to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who lives with Sickle Cell and raise awareness about the difference facets of someone who lives with this disease.