Sickle Cell Strong

Every child deserves to be a child — not just a patient.

My name is Myesha Johnson, and I am the founder and president of Sickle Cell Strong, an Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization I started in 2024 because of the person who changed my life forever: my son, Da’Meer.

My son has sickle cell disease, and watching him fight this battle has changed the way I see the world. He has been hospitalized over 100 times since birth. At just three years old, he had to have his spleen removed. He takes multiple medications and faces challenges that many children his age will never have to experience.

As his mother, I have watched him endure pain, hospital stays, procedures, and limitations that no child should have to face. While other children get to focus on playing, making memories, and simply being kids, children like my son often have to spend their childhood fighting a disease they never asked for.

There have been moments when I wished I could take his pain away. I cannot change his diagnosis, but I can do something to make his journey — and the journeys of other children like him — a little brighter.

That is why I created Sickle Cell Strong.

Our First Mission: Hospital Care Bags

When a child is admitted to the hospital, their world can suddenly become scary, lonely, and overwhelming. I want every child battling sickle cell disease to know that someone cares about them, even when they are away from home.

Through Sickle Cell Strong, I am working to provide hospital care bags filled with comfort items, hygiene products, blankets, activities, snacks when appropriate, and small gifts to bring smiles to children and teens during their hospital stays.

These bags are about more than the items inside. They are a reminder that these children are seen, loved, valued, and never forgotten.

Every donated blanket, coloring book, hygiene item, toy, gift card, and dollar can help us reach another child who needs encouragement.

️ My Biggest Dream: A Year-Round Camp for Children Living With Sickle Cell

My dream goes beyond hospital walls.

I want to create a year-round camp in Ohio where children living with sickle cell disease and their families can find a safe, welcoming, and supportive place to make memories.

I dream of a place where children can laugh, explore, participate in appropriate recreational activities, build friendships, enjoy nature, and experience the joy of childhood in an environment designed with their needs in mind.

I want families to feel understood. I want children to have opportunities to experience things they may otherwise miss because of their condition. I want them to know that sickle cell disease is part of their story, but it does not define their entire lives.

My goal is to make this dream a reality by 2028, but with the right support, partnerships, donated land, and funding, I hope we can move closer to making it happen sooner.

Why I Am Asking for Your Help

Sickle Cell Strong is a mission built from a mother’s love, a family’s experience, and a desire to make life better for other families walking this difficult journey.

As I work to grow this nonprofit, I know I cannot do everything alone. I am asking individuals, families, businesses, churches, community organizations, and compassionate donors to become part of this mission.

Your donation will help us purchase supplies for hospital care bags, reach more hospitalized children, build community partnerships, and raise the funds needed to establish our year-round camp.

No donation is too small. If you can give $1, that matters. If you can donate supplies, sponsor care bags, connect us with a business, help us find land, or share this fundraiser with someone else, that matters too.

I may have started Sickle Cell Strong with a mother’s determination, but I believe a community of caring people can help turn this vision into something extraordinary.

One day, I hope to look at my son and the children we serve and know that we helped make their lives a little brighter — not because we could take away every hardship, but because we made sure they never had to feel forgotten.

Please donate, share our story, and stand with Sickle Cell Strong.

Together, we can fill hospital rooms with comfort, childhoods with joyful memories, and families’ hearts with hope.

From my family to yours, thank you for believing in this mission and helping me turn a mother’s pain into a purpose.

With love and gratitude,

Myesha Johnson

Founder & President, Sickle Cell Strong

Ohio 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

[email redacted]

❤️ Every child deserves hope. Every family deserves support. Every donation helps us grow stronger together.