Sickle Cell
Sickle Cell is not an illness you catch from coughs or sneezes. It is something you can be born with if both your parents are affected.
It is found mainly in children from African or Caribbean backgrounds.
It happens when the red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body change shape from circles to sickle shapes.
They can't move around the body so easily as so cause blockages.
This makes your joints (like knees and elbows) hurt.
If you have it your doctor will give you medicine to help you cope with it, but it will always be there.
There are lots of diseases like Sickle Cell that people get directly from their parents.
If you know someone with Sickle Cell be nice to them and especially kind. They often need extra rest and find the wet and cold very unpleasant.
If you want to know more about Sickle Cell or other diseases like this contact
The Organisation for Sickle Cell Anaemia - 0171 820 9594
