As the parent of a child with SCD, you may know that SCD can lead to pain, anemia, serious infections and damage to major organs. But you may not know that nearly 11 percent of children born with the most severe form of sickle cell disease will have a stroke by age 20.
My Warrior Khadeejah had her first stroke at 7. Thanks to her monthly blood transfusions, she hasn’t had another one. Your child’s susceptibility to stroke will be caught by a TCD (transcranial doppler). If your sickler is at least 2 years old and has never had this done, please be sure to ask their hematologist on his or her next visit.
To learn more about how sickle cell disease relates to stroke, visit http://powertoendstroke.org/stroke-reduce-risk-sicklecell.html.
IN THIS PIC: Amatullah at her sister’s side. I hope they never depart from being there for each other. This was the first use of Khadeejah’s new port for her blood transfusion. She was a little scared but did great.
