PSA Production Credits: LANG/DURHAM | Lumina Films
You may wish to contact the producers of this PSA above to find out how you can get it to run in your state.
Health Education :: :: What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?
Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition in which the red blood cells can become sickle-shaped (that is, shaped like a "C").
Normal red blood cells are smooth and round like a doughnut without a hole. They move easily through blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Sickle-shaped cells don't move easily through blood. They're stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in blood vessels.
The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited, lifelong condition. People who have sickle cell anemia are born with it. They inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene, one from each parent. People who inherit a sickle cell gene from one parent and a normal gene from the other parent have a condition called sickle cell trait.
Sickle cell trait is different from sickle cell anemia. People with sickle cell trait don't have the condition, but they have one of the genes that cause the condition. Like people with sickle cell anemia, people with sickle cell trait can pass the gene on when they have children.
:: What is Anemia?
Anemia (uh-NEE-me-uh) is a condition in which a person's blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or the red blood cells don't have enough hemoglobin (HEE-muh-glow-bin). Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives blood its red color and carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Red blood cells are made in the spongy marrow inside the large bones of the body. Bone marrow constantly makes new red blood cells to replace old ones. Normal red blood cells last about 120 days in the bloodstream and then die. Their main role is to carry oxygen, but they also remove carbon dioxide (a waste product) from cells and carry it to the lungs to be exhaled.
In sickle cell anemia, a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells occurs because sickle cells don't last very long. Sickle cells die faster than normal red blood cells, usually after only about 10 to 20 days. The bone marrow can't make new red blood cells fast enough to replace the dying ones. The result is anemia.
Source :: NHLBI - NIH www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Be sure to ask your doctor for more info
Please take Note: Do not use the word Sickler. Stay Positive, don't allow ignorance to keep you down at an even lower level than your pain has kept you for so long. To overcome major difficulties you must be empowered do so. Words like Sickler does not define who you are... Demand that they change the language and allow you, your dignity... For in spite of your pain you are a human being worthy of esteem and respect due to any other. My body is not free of these chains and cycles of Pain but I can fight to free my mind.
I will not stand to allow any more of my friends to die from this disease without the respect they deserve. I am offended by the Medical Community who continues to this day to use and feed us such negative language. I pray I never get sick in your beds. - Nazaire
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month
Support your local SCDAA member organization www.sicklecelldisease.org
Bahrain Society of Sickle Cell Disease www.scdbh.com
I will be Presenting the Results of this Silent Video Campaign at the upcoming National Convention
SCDAA 35th Annual Convention
35th Anniversary of the National Sickle Cell Disease Program
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
taking place @
Washington Hilton and Towers
Washington, DC
date :: September 18-22, 2007
Make a video response to Silent Suffering!
Shoot your own video about Sickle Cell and put it on Youtube as a video response to this campaign. You will be helping many others in our community so don't be shy speak your mind about what needs to change to make dealing with Sickle Cell better locally and for the world globally.
Video Responses to Silent Suffering ( to be listed here )
I found this very revealing so far, I hope they never learn the true reasons of why the man in the photo has paint on his face, but just the reactions with their true nature to share an opinion or pass judgment without much thinking really inspires the artist in me to see such strong opinions of the human spirit.
Thank You if you have clicked from that page to this one to find out what was really behind the face ( smile )
It's all about ART as Activism - I think SAMO would be have proud - Rest in Peace Jean-Michel Basquiat
:: Thank You for your Support of my Art and Helping me to Raise Awareness ::
Donations :: We Need Sponsors for our online advertising for this 2007 Awareness Campaign
:: Silent Video Campaign Sponsors ::
Hertz Nazaire
sickle cell art
1042 Broad Street
Loft 407
Bridgeport, CT 06604
view nazaire's wishlist
Last Year we had 4 donations to the Nazaire Gallery Fund which was for funding of heavy downloads made on this site and some donations funded Art Supplies for new Paintings ::
I still welcome help with my art supplies but I would like to finish this project first.
This year I only want to focus on using videos online for a global effort of Sickle Cell Advocacy and I was invited to make a presentaton on this at this years conference in September. Stay Tuned - I will report back when this is all set up.
