For many Black sickle cell patients, care must reach deeper
Sickle cell patient Alexis Tappan, right, is checked out by Rana Cooper on at the Methodist Hospital Cancer Institute and Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center. Memphis is home to one of the nation’s largest populations of adults living with sickle cell disease. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Memphis is a hub for sickle cell treatment, attracting researchers from across the world. Black patients with the inherited blood disorder not only face chronic pain, but trauma beyond the doctor’s office.
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Mental health Sickle Cell Disease social determinates of health Lemuel Diggs St. Jude Children's Research HospitalAisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki has spent the better part of two decades writing about Memphis. A former digital journalist for WMC Action News 5 and staff reporter for Memphis Daily News, her work has also appeared in The Commercial Appeal, High Ground News, I Love Memphis, Inside Memphis Business, The Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent, Memphis Magazine and Tri-State Defender.
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