Mile 84

Sade McGrew, a recent college graduate, has been living with sickle cell disease for 22 years. Since she was a baby, she has been under the care of her pediatric hematologist, Dr. Lolie Yu at Manning Family Children’s. Routine follow-ups have become a normal part of Sade’s life.

For Sade, living with sickle cell disease has been a difficult journey filled with many challenges. Unlike people with normal red blood cells, Sade’s red blood cells are “sickle” or crescent-shaped, which hinders their movement through the bloodstream. This can lead to painful episodes, called pain crises, in the affected organs and tissues when the sickle cells get stuck in the blood vessels.

As a child, Sade faced limitations in participating in extracurricular activities due to her frequent illnesses. Between the ages of 5 and 12 years old, she had to endure chronic blood transfusions every month, and experienced recurrent upper respiratory infections including severe bouts with pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, a group of symptoms that occurs when sickled cells clump together in the lungs. Despite her challenges, Sade’s determination and resilience never wavered.

As she has gotten older, Sade’s pain crises are less frequent. Although she still experiences pain, she has learned to control symptoms with medications. Sade’s daily treatment regimen includes medication such as hydroxyurea to prevent her red blood cells from sickling, folic acid to support the production of new red blood cells and to relieve joint pain and inflammation, and penicillin to reduce the risk of infection due to her missing spleen. Sade says while her sickle cell journey has been a bumpy road, she says her family, friends, and Dr. Yu have helped give her strength. Sade graduated last year from South University and plans to attend law school in the future.