Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell disease affects 72,000 persons in the United States, including one in every 600 African-American births and 1 in 1,000-1,400 Hispanic births. Multiply these figures by the number of family members who are also impacted and the numbers are overwhelming. While medical centers are rapidly improving their ability to address the medical aspects of pediatric disease, the provision of psychological and other support services, including pain management, is significantly lacking, and there are few resources that children and families can turn to for support and hope. Furthermore, a young child’s pain is frequently disregarded, as he or she is unable to effectively communicate the intensity of his or her pain to the medical staff. Kids Kicking Cancer helps to bridge this tremendous gap. Many children with Sickle Cell Anemia are treated in cancer centers. We developed Kids Kicking Sickle Cell as a direct response to the intense pain issues of this population. Our successful methodology with pediatric oncology is applied equally well for these children.