On Saturday, Kristen, my mom, and I are doing a 5K race here in Phoenix. It's for sickle cell research. It's the only race going on this weekend up in Phoenix...so we are going to do it. I didn't really remember a whole lot about why sickle cells were an issue...so I decided to look up this morning.(since I'm obvioulsy so busy at work) And here's what I found:
Sickle Cell Anemia
Also called: Hemoglobin SS disease
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. The cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle. They don't last as long as normal, round red blood cells, which leads to anemia. The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow. This can cause pain and organ damage.
A genetic problem causes sickle cell anemia. People with the disease are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent. If you only have one sickle cell gene, it's called sickle cell trait. About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait.
2 comments:
Maybe that is why you are so tired all the time... I am sure I will be the very last one in but if I can beat you or Kristen then I am IN! Good luck Losers! :)
how funny we were just talking about sickle cell disease in class today. By the way, I absolutely love the brown hair, it looks way cute!
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