GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, and a Grand Rapids woman who has lived with the disease her entire life is working to raise awareness and support others facing the same diagnosis.
Sickle cell disease affects just 1 in 100,000 Americans. The condition causes red blood cells to get stuck to blood vessels, cutting off blood flow and creating painful aches for patients.
Shanice Bowen was just 4 days old when she was diagnosed.
"When she took me home, she noticed that I had like a purplish blue color on my face, and I was just oddly quiet. She took me to the hospital, and they did one test — blood tests, and that's when she received the news that I have sickle cell anemia," Bowen said.
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Bowen described what it feels like when the disease flares up.
"It can start you feeling very drained, fatigued. You can feel dehydrated — it's like a light pain. It can definitely progress very quickly if you're not on top of it," Bowen said.
"I have the sickle cell full blown, so I guess I'm picked because they know that I can handle it," Bowen said.
While sickle cell disease can affect anyone, it is most commonly seen in patients of African American, Latino, or Mediterranean descent.
Corewell Health has revamped its patient care approach and is working to raise awareness among the public and its staff. Dr. Kathleen Jarrett said the changes have made a meaningful difference.
"Before this quality improvement, even some of our staff members didn't know how to treat sickle cell disease, so having that education really changed how we approach these patients and has created a more comfortable environment for them to receive care," Jarrett said.
Bowen, who receives care at Corewell Health, said the changes have made a real impact for her. She hopes sharing her story can help educate others and build a sense of community among those living with the disease.
"Just creating a space and a place for people to actually connect and come together and realize you're not the only one that has this. Yes, it's a rare disease, but that's OK," Bowen said.
Local hospitals are teaming up for their 2nd annual sickle cell walk and roll. Information on the event can be found here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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