Support Art Therapy: Heal Sickle Cell Through Creativity

Five years ago, I didn’t want sickle cell to be my story. I stayed quiet, only confiding in close friends. But the reality is brutal, sickle cell doesn’t just bring pain, it strips opportunities, isolates families, and leaves too many people without the support they need. My escape was art and poetry. That creativity saved me, it gave me purpose, got me into rooms with Snap, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and allowed Akanji Studio to host exhibitions with PwC, Salesforce, Arsenal, HelloFresh and more.

But here’s the truth: not everyone living with sickle cell has access to those lifelines. Most face the pain without tools, without therapy, without platforms that restore hope. That’s why I built the Akanji Studio Wellness C.I.C (non-profit).

When you donate, you’re not just giving money, you’re funding free art therapy for patients who can’t afford it, exhibitions that drive lifesaving blood donations, and direct support for families in crisis. Every pound goes toward building real, practical solutions for a community that has been ignored for too long.

Sickle cell is the fastest-growing genetic disorder in the UK, yet it remains overlooked, underfunded, and misunderstood. Behind the statistics are thousands of people facing daily battles with pain, fatigue, and stigma. At Akanji Studio Wellness CIC, we refuse to let those battles stay invisible. We use art as a weapon, to heal, amplify, and drive awareness. Our digital art therapy workshops give sickle cell warriors tools to transform pain into creativity. Our public exhibitions force the world to see what’s too often ignored. Our collaborations with the NHS bring art and blood donation campaigns together, saving lives.

This is not charity work. This is cultural intervention.

Why Exhibitions Matter

Sickle cell is called an “invisible illness”, pain locked inside bodies, rarely represented in culture, barely spoken about in public spaces. Exhibitions change that.
Right now, we are hosting an exhibition at Boxpark, one of London’s most iconic venues. Hundreds of people are walking through, discovering powerful visuals and stories that statistics can’t capture. Visitors are stopping, asking questions, and leaving with a new understanding of sickle cell. Some are even signing up to donate blood.

This is the power of visual representation. An exhibition isn’t just art on walls, it’s a stage for truth. It’s a megaphone for a community too often ignored. And it works. But exhibitions like Boxpark don’t come cheap. Our last 3-day show cost £4,000 to produce, before venue hire. To keep creating platforms like this, we need your support.

Beyond the Walls: Awareness, Empathy, Action

Our exhibitions don’t stop at showcasing art, they push for change. At Boxpark, alongside the visuals, we share real stories and direct calls for action. Visitors leave not only moved, but many take the step to sign up as blood donors. That means art in a gallery space is directly saving lives in hospitals.

it doesn’t end there. Through our online campaigns, we break down the stigma around sickle cell, amplify underrepresented voices, and install empathy where there was ignorance. Every post, every image, every story is a reminder that this community cannot be ignored any longer.

Exhibitions spark awareness in physical spaces, campaigns carry it across digital spaces, and together they build a society that sees, supports, and stands with sickle cell warriors.

What Your Donation Makes Possible

£50 → Provides art materials and digital tools for one sickle cell art therapy participant

£250 → Supports one child with a creative wellness pack and year-long access to workshops

£1,000 → Funds a full digital art therapy workshop cycle (facilitator, space, equipment, materials)

£5,000 → Produces a 3-day public exhibition like Boxpark, raising awareness of sickle cell and chronic pain, reaching hundreds of people (art production, logistics, marketing — venue not included)

£10,000+ → Powers a major awareness campaign or NHS partnership event combining art, wellness, and blood donation drives

Every pound you give creates ripples: one exhibition can move hundreds, one campaign can save lives, one workshop can give someone living with sickle cell the tools to cope and create.

Why Now

The Boxpark exhibition is live proof of what we can achieve. People are stopping in their tracks. Conversations are being sparked. Sickle cell is being made visible in one of the busiest cultural spaces in London. But one exhibition is not enough.

We need to take this momentum forward, into more exhibitions, more workshops, and more awareness campaigns that fight for change. By backing this campaign, you’re not just donating. You’re standing with a community that has been overlooked for too long. You’re fuelling art that heals, exhibitions that educate, and programs that empower. Together, we can make sickle cell visible. Together, we can transform pain into power.

Your donation funds:

• Free art therapy workshops that help patients process pain, reduce isolation, and rebuild confidence — giving young people and adults a safe space to express what hospitals and medication can’t always reach

• Exhibitions that break stigma, educate wider communities about sickle cell, and inspire blood donors — creating awareness, representation, and direct impact for patients who depend on transfusions

• Support for young people and families in crisis

Support art therapy. Heal sickle cell through creativity.

-Rizzy Akanji Amole