Sickle Cell disease is an inherited condition. The genes a person receives from one's parents before birth determines whether a person will have sickle cell disease. Sickle Cell Disease cannot be caught or passed to another person. One in every 12 African Americans is a carrier of sickle cell disease. If a carrier mates and produces a child with another carrier, that child may suffer from sickle cell disease. The disease affects the genes that produce hemoglobin for your red blood cells. It is the hemoglobin that keeps oxygen in the lungs and delivers it throughout your body. This causes organs, such as the liver, to break down and not work as it should. This leads to sickness and pain.
 

Fight Sickle Cell Disease!

• Test Early

• Volunteer Time and Talents

• Donate

For more info on how to help fight this disease, contact:

FACES

1-866-FACES 11

www.facesofourchildren.org