Working for a Cure to Sickle Cell Anemia

It’s fair to say some of you have probably never heard of Sickle Cell or if you have you're not really sure what it is.
Well Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic disease that affects the red blood cells. Those cells carry oxygen throughout our bodies.
It can cause severe pain, strokes, skin ulcers, and organ damage.
In the United States most people suffering with sickle cell are African American.
Here in Savannah it's estimated there are at least two hundred cases of Sickle Cell.
News Three’s Alice Massimi has the story of one of those cases and how it's empowered a family to work for a cure.

With their voices raised this crowd is hoping for a cure... a cure to a rather unknown disease...Sickle Cell Anemia.
A red blood disorder it affects roughly 1 out of every five hundred African Americans, diagnosed shortly after birth, Justin Sheppard is one of them.
“It was a very challenging situation however we were very strong in the Lord and understood he had given us a child to take care of and that if we followed and walked in his steps that we would be okay,” explains Justin’s Father, Josey Sheppard.
Even though Josey and his wife Angela were told there was no cure... they found one a bone marrow transplant.
“It was a true miracle that was always in the mix for us. The issues as it relates to the bone marrow transplant are of course having a match and we were fortunate enough that our oldest son Trey was a perfect match for Justin.”
Four years later Justin is still Sickle Cell Free... thanks to his brother.
But not everyone is as lucky which is why the Sickle Cell Association of Savannah is working to raise awareness.
“I think education is going to be the key to this. We are not decreasing our numbers much and if we can just inform people because a lot of people do not know,” points out Parnell Jones of the Association.
If they did Jones feels more research would be done... a cure could be discovered...
Something, even though his son is healthy now, Sheppard is also praying for.

The Sickle Cell Association of Savannah says to the best of their knowledge Justin is the only person in Chatham County to be cured of Sickle Cell.