HOLYOKE — The Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association, along with Baystate Medical Health and state Rep. Bud Williams, D-Springfield, announced the first in a series of educational presentations on sickle cell disease Saturday, July 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Baystate Health Education Center at 361 Whitney Ave. in Holyoke. The event is free and open to the public. Ample parking is available on-site.
People of African descent make up 90% of the population with sickle cell in the U.S. It also affects people of Hispanic, South Asian, Southern European and Middle Eastern ancestry. SCD is inherited and affects the hemoglobin responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood to the body’s tissues. Those suffering from SCD would have red blood cells shaped like sickles rather than round like normal red blood cells, severely restricting their oxygen-carrying ability.
“This event aims to raise the profile of sickle cell in Western Mass. It is also the beginning of a statewide campaign, which is needed to expand our mission to ensure that people living with the disease are treated with dignity and compassion through advocacy, education and services,” said Jacqueline Haley, the executive director of the Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association.
