These Sisters With Sickle Cell Had Devastating, and Preventable, Strokes.
“Kyra and Kami never got a simple test that could have protected them. Their story exemplifies the failure to care for people with the disease, most of whom are Black.”
Inequities in our healthcare system have real consequences. I was lucky to spend time with Kyra, Kami, and their mother Dana (now three of my favorite people). The teen sisters have been through a lot in their 16 and 17 years. Diagnosed and living with sickle cell, they have faced an uphill battle their entire lives: countless hospital visits, debilitating pain, and strokes, the latter their most significant complication. Their strokes might have been prevented with a simple, routine scan. The girls' mother, Dana Jones (@mothering_sicklecell), who chronicles every moment of their medical care, was shocked to learn the girls' former doctor had left out a key element of preventative care.
Please see the full article here at The New York Times.
