NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Sickle cell disease is a devastating, inherited blood disorder that affects an estimated eight million people worldwide and roughly 100,000 here in the United States, most of them African American. It causes misshapen red blood cells that block blood flow, triggering excruciating pain, chronic anemia, and damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. Despite decades of research, the average life expectancy for an American with sickle cell remains about 20 years shorter than the general population. But for the first time, even scientists say new therapies have the power to actually cure the disease.
Danielle Lee is all smiles today, but for years she hid her pain.
“I went from like screaming, crying, ‘please don’t let me die’ to not caring if I died, I just wanted the pain to be over,” she recalled…