Sickle Cell Anemia: A Patient's Journey Entry 14

 There are other children that are dealing with SCD , just like Alexandria. Researchers are trying their best to better understand the cure and get a step closer to finding a cure. Often children with SCD do not understand their disease they just want the pain to stop. Alexandria now 17 years old was diagnosed with SCD at age 4. But now they have technology that can diagnosed a child at birth or before birth. This being said doctors are still researching SCD in children, At only 12 years old Alexandria experienced a 'Silent Stroke'. Meaning she had a stroke not even knowing this. This happened because blood cells in her brain were sickled shaped which causes them to be unable to flow pass each other. Because of their new found shape, the cells start to clump together in the brain cutting off the oxygen supply to the brain. So basically children with SCD , can have silent strokes not even knowing it until doctors take a look at their brain. If they continue to do research on SCD maybe just maybe they will finally have a cure or even a vaccine.