A Milwaukee author living with sickle cell disease is transforming his lifelong battle with pain into advocacy, while researchers at Versiti work on groundbreaking gene-editing treatments that could revolutionize care for the condition.
Watch: Milwaukee man turns sickle cell pain into purpose through new book
Milwaukee man turns sickle cell pain into purpose through new book
James Griffin, author of “Breaking Silence: Living With Sickle Cell Anemia,” has endured excruciating pain from the disease for most of his life. Diagnosed at age 2, Griffin describes the sensation as feeling “like a drill is going through your body or you’re being hit with something heavy like a baseball bat.”
“The pain is excruciating, and it’s not something that’s exaggerated,” Griffin said.
Sickle cell disease affects over 100,000 Americans, with the majority being Black, according to the CDC. Despite common misconceptions, Griffin emphasizes that the condition can affect anyone…