Task Force News – Page 2 – Metropolitan Seattle Sickle Cell Task Force

Congratulations Beria Heyman

Beria graduated from Rainier Beach High School and is on her way to college. She is hoping to go to Howard and says she aim’s to achieve everything she deserves. She expressed feeling blessed to have so many people to help along the way. From the times she felt less motivated in school and times when her health took its […]

Congratulations D’Anya Lewis!

D’Anya graduated from Franklin High School with a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certificate. She spent her senior year in a program at West Seattle High in the morning and then traveled to Franklin in the afternoon to continue her high school studies. She traveled on from school many nights to her job at the Big Wheel on Seattle’s Waterfront. It […]

Congratulations John Masambe

Congratulations John Masambe John graduated with his AA in health studies from Seattle Central Community College. John is proud to announce that he has been accepted into the University of Washington as he pursues his major in Healthcare Management and Leadership. John faced many health obstacles and the loss of his sister during his time at Seattle Central. He was […]

Attitude Check

An interview with Denise Bazemore Imagine growing up with a constant feeling that you were not quite like everyone else. What would it be like to know that you were different and know that your peers knew you were different but never feeling comfortable enough to speak about that difference? This is how Denise Bazemore felt as a child. […]

The Power of the Snow Suit

The Power of the Snowsuit! Every year since my daughter Trinity was born, winter has brought a certain level of anxiety to our household. We love the season; however, wintry weather requires us to remain on high alert to keep her warm and healthy. We have a growing list of items that help with this mission: tights, wool thermal wear, […]

Life after Transplant

Life after Transplant It has now been 3 years since Jasmine and her family’s life changed forever. In July of 2013 Jasmine had the opportunity to undergo a transplant with hopes to cure her sickle cell disease. The transplant was very hard. Jasmine had to be in isolation and separate from her friends and family. The transplant was a success […]

Finding Unique Jobs

Meet 17-year-old Josie Heyman. Josie is entering her senior year at Rainer Beach High School. She enjoys school although she admits her grades are not the best, “I know I can do better” says Josie. After completing high school Josie hopes to go on to pursue a degree in nursing. She really wants to go to an HBCU and […]

Community Organization of the Year: Washington Diamonds Drill Team

Washington Diamonds Drill Team The Washington Diamonds Drill Team was started in 2010 by director Fawn Sterling. Our mission is to involve youth from different backgrounds and cultures to come together and have fun, while developing team-building skills, thereby, teaching our youth respect for themselves and others, fostering professionalism, giving back to the community and celebrating our achievements. Our goals […]

Graduation Congratulations: Ibrahiam

Ibrahaim You Did It! Graduating from high school took a little longer for me than it should have; this year I buckled down and graduated with a 3.5 GPA from Garfield High School. My high school years were challenging, it wasn’t that the classes were hard; I wasn’t motivated or didn’t have any interest in classes or grades. […]

Graduation Congratulations : Malik

Malik Lewis 1998 to Forever Congratulations Malik; you did it! Malik graduated from Franklin High in Seattle his senior year 2017. School years weren’t always easy for me; I was in the hospital a lot when I was younger and had a couple of hospital stays during high school and many absentees because I was sick. Every […]

Can I Really Trust Others with my Child?

Can I really trust others with my child? This weekend my husband and I were so excited go out for a long awaited date night away from our 3 kids. We were planning to send them down to grandparents Saturday morning, but our daughter woke up early Friday morning with pain in her arm. NOOOOOOO! With another date-night […]

What can we do to help

As a community coordinator I often get asked by individuals and/or groups who have been inspired by something they have recently learned about Sickle Cell: “What can we do to help”? This has always been such a difficult question to answer. Sometimes it is hard to connect people who care with the work you are so passionate about. Yet this […]

Five things to think about before you come to the Emergency Department

Am I sick? Our first action in the Emergency Department is not just to control your pain, but to determine the source of your pain and see what treatment is needed. If you think you are SICK, with fever, cough or other symptoms, then make sure we know that. Is this normal pain? It’s hard for us to understand […]

College Life: Lessons Learned

I had the privilege to catch up with Laelah Ndifon this month. Laelah is currently a junior at Washington State University. Laelah graduated in 2014 from John F. Kennedy Catholic High School and she was so excited to be accepted at WSU. She was really looking forward to finally being independent and exercising unlimited freedom. She was nervous, however, about […]

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America -44th Annual Convention

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America 44th Conference I had the awesome privilege to travel to Baltimore in September to attend the 44th Annual Sickle Cell Convention sponsored by the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. I went to the convention with the hopes to be informed and inspired to continue the work of supporting those in our community […]

SPOTLIGHT: Smokey (15 years of volunteering )

SPOTLIGHT!! Mr. Doug Woodson It was such a privilege to talk with Mr. Doug Woodson, aka Smokey, about his involvement in Sickle Cell Camp, and what continues to bring him back, year after year. Doug is a retired Seattle Firefighter, he worked for the fire department for 27 years, and now he is enjoying his time doing what […]

Sickle Cell Camp 2016- My First Experience

When I first learned that I was going to Sickle Cell Camp with my sister. I was very nervous and scared. I was nervous because I didn’t know anybody who was going to attend the same camp except for my sister. And I didn’t know what to expect. I had mixed feelings and as the camp day approached I wasn’t […]

Sickle Cell Free

Sickle Cell Free: Not FREE The road to freedom from Sickle Cell is certainly not free but I am blessed to say that it is attainable! Craig Jr. was born with Hemoglobin SC and is 13 years old. He has suffered multiple crises throughout his life. He is number 3 of 6 children. The only one born with Sickle Cell. […]

December 2016 NEWS

December NEWS Articles include: Sickle Cell Walk, Camp, Craig Jr. Transplant update, 44th Sickle Cell Disease Association of America 44th Annual Convention overview. View the complete December 2016 Newsletter.

Transplant Impacts Everyone

I had the privilege to speak with an amazing family : Jason (Dad), Tanishia (Mom), Deidre (grandma), Jason Jr. , Janique , Jasyra , and Jahreem. The Huery family lives in Tacoma, but for now they are managing 2 homes: one in Tacoma and one in Seattle. Jason Jr. is preparing to begin a bone marrow transplant at Seattle Children’s […]

College Life: Scholarship Recipient Update

______________________________________________________________ Karim How has school been for you this year? Honestly it’s been great. I have been in a learning environment and I’ve gotten stronger using the school gym. I might get the chance to run the gym as an intern for the athletic coordinator. I have also met a lot of people and I appreciate everyone’s help for everything. […]

Life After Transplant

Jasmine had her transplant in June of 2014. We had all of our children tested to see if any of them were a match for her. Christopher was the one who matched her perfectly, right down to the same blood type. We had at least two counseling sessions with SCCA and multiple tests to see where she was before […]

College Life: Scholarship Recipient Update

Congratulations to our 2015 scholarship recipients: Karim and Seraj. I got the chance to check in with them about their school year. Seraj How has school been for you this year? I am excited that I will graduate from Seattle Central College by the end of the summer. I am only taking […]

Education Series: Pain Treatment with Dr Walco

I have truly enjoyed the Educations Series sponsored by the Task Force this spring. We have really had some amazing guest speakers and I have learned so much. In June Dr Gary Walco, Director of Pain Medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, came and spoke with us about pain treatment. Some highlights from this session include: In the past 10 years […]

Laughing Yoga Session

Nikki E. Akparewa, RN, MSN/MPH is an advanced practice nurse and wellness coach who loves to use the joyful nature of laughter to help people create healing in their bodies by building awareness of self. Laughter Yoga even strengthens the immune system which not only prevents you from falling sick, but also helps to heal a variety of illnesses like hypertension, heart […]

Applying for SSI, Personal Perspective

Living with Sickle Cell Anemia involves much more than just dealing with a horrible and painful disease, it affects you & your family’s lives on daily basis financially as well. In fact the financial part & obligations can be more stressful and painful than the disease itself, & they don’t stop just because you’re sick. I’m sure some financial guru […]

Phases of Clinical Trials

Education Session Our mission is to continue to provide our Sickle Cell community with updated information about Sickle Cell disease and other topics that promote healthy living in body and mind. Special Thank you to Terry Anderson , PhD, who came to our March education session and talked with us about Clinical Trials. ________________________________________________________ Clinical trials are an essential part […]

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