937.231.4915 or 937.689.0178
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Awareness is Key to finding a cure
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited when each parent carried the trait for the disease. Worldwide, SCD affects nearly 4.4 million people, with 43 million people considered "carriers" of the disease. At home in the United States, 90,000 Americans are currently afflicted with the disease, and 2.5 million carry the trait to pass the disease on.
Persons suffering from Sickle Cell Disease have an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin found in red blood cells. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances, which causes constant pain as blood flows through arteries and veins.
Problems in sickle cell disease typically begin around 5 to 6 months of age. A number of health problems may develop, such as attacks of pain ("sickle cell crisis"), anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections and stroke. Long-term chronic pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years old.
Currently, there is no cure for Sickle Cell disease, though with recent advancements in medical research, the life expectancy and quality of life of those with SCD are greatly improving. It is Dayton Sickle Cell Affected Families mission to promote awareness in order to continuing funding research until a cure is found.
About
Our Mission Statement
Our mission and primary focus has been and remains on improving the quality of life issues for sickle cell patients and their families by providing emotional support (through home and medical visits), ensuring basic care necessities, promoting awareness through educational initiatives, and promoting well-being to empower patients in our community to fully participate in our care.
Community Outreach
Making A Difference
Dayton Sickle Cell Affected Families, Inc. is in the business of changing and shaping lives. The work we do at DSSCAFA, Inc. is aimed at providing and creating multiple outlets that allow us to make the Dayton community aware of the challenges those with SCD face, while empowering our families suffering with the disease, and funding research efforts to find a cure.
Supportive Services
Fostering Emotional Support
We want the families that we serve to know that they are not alone-they suffer, we suffer. We support our families by offering:
Hospital Visits
Participating in Hotline calls
Transportation
Bereavement and Benevolence
There are also national initiatives that we partner with in order to get the most support for our families.
Fundraising
Donations and Scholarship
In order to get our message across we know that it takes involvement from the community at large. Each year, we offer a number of special events and fundraising opportunities to allow people and business to help out in any number of ways.
DSSAFA's main fundraising opportunity is its Annual Sickle Cell Awareness walk. We also offer an Academic Scholarship to a deserving high school teen afflicted with SCD.
We know that it takes a village when dealing with any cause. If you'd like to support our endeavors, please click below.
Get in touch with Dayton Sickle Cell Affected Families, Inc. to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.
6620 Pheasant Ridge Rd
Dayton, Montgomery County 45424
USA
937.231.4915 or 937.689.0178