Gov. Gregoire Declares Jan. 25 Sickle Cell Awareness Day

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2008

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today declared Jan. 25, 2008, to be Sickle Cell Awareness Day in support of those seeking to help the 72,000 Americans who suffer from it.

�As a society, we need to do whatever we can to help those afflicted,� Gregoire said. �Fortunately, aggressive screening and innovative therapies are allowing children born with this disease to lead full, productive lives.�

During a ceremony, Gregoire thanked Sen. Rosa Franklin and Rep. Eric Pettigrew for their efforts to educate the public about the hereditary disease that affects one in 500 people of African-American descent, the highest rate of incidence of any group.

Also attending was Ken West, president of the Metro-Seattle Sickle Cell Task Force, and Dr. M. Bender, director of the Odessa Brown Comprehensive sickle cell clinic.

�I look forward to the day we have a cure for this terrible disease,� Gregoire said. �But first must come public awareness, and I applaud the efforts today by the organizations and others here to create that awareness.�

Sickle cell anemia is a serious, life-long condition in which the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body becomes C-shaped and clump together, blocking blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.

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