Help Prevent Strokes in Children with Sickle Cell

Hi, I’m Uche Osunkwo, and I’m a high school senior from Charlotte, NC. This past summer I spent two months in Lagos interning at the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria (SCFN). During my time there, I realized the gravity of sickle cell disease (SCD) and its brutal impact it has on communities and individuals in Nigeria, especially children. 50 to 80 percent of children with sickle cell in Nigeria actually die before they reach adulthood. I was determined that even though I did not live there, I will find ways help children make it to their teenage and even adult years without being consumed by the burdens of their diseases.

Sickle Cell Disease is a condition in which red blood cells take on a sickled shape, resulting in shorter cell life and a smaller amount of healthy blood cells. SCD can result in clotting, pain, and infection. With over 100,000 sickle cell births a year, Nigeria has the greatest population of people with sickle cell in the world. Children with sickle cell are 300 times more likely to have strokes before age sixteen than healthy children. If left untreated, these strokes can result in the inability to walk, talk, see, and learn, all consequences that will last a lifetime.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) scans screen for stroke risk in children, and are vital first steps to preventative treatments. In Nigeria, however, there is a crippling lack of available TCD equipment available. This lack of machines can mean life or death for many children in Nigeria. In partnership with the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria, this GoFundMe will be raising money to buy TCD machines to help detect stroke risk and provide care for young children living with SCD in Nigeria.