How is St. Jude advancing sickle cell research?
St. Jude has been committed to researching, understanding and improving standards of care for people with sickle cell disease since our beginning. The first grant the hospital ever received was for the study of sickle cell disease in 1958, before the hospital was even built. Thanks to your generous support, St. Jude:
- Developed one of the largest sickle cell programs in the country.
- Treats more than 900 patients with sickle cell disease annually
- Leads the Sickle Cell Clinical Research and Intervention Program (SCCRIP), which studies how sickle cell disease progresses over time and how we can improve the quality of life for sickle cell disease patients while we continue to search for cures.
- Will invest $1.1 billion over the next six years to expand research and treatment programs to advance cures for childhood diseases such as sickle cell disease.
St. Jude patient Bailey with her dad
St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, such as sickle cell disease. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
$25
could help provide a day of meals for a St. Jude patient.*
$55
could help provide four complete blood count tests for St. Jude patients.*
$100
could help provide a sickle cell transition packet for a St. Jude patient.*
*When you make a donation using this information, your donation will be used to provide breakthrough research, treatment and cures. Items listed here are representative of services and supplies that are part of the treatment and care of children at St. Jude. The cost of each item or service is an approximation, and will vary based on actual costs incurred and individual patient needs. Your donation will be used for the general operating needs of St. Jude, where no family ever receives a bill for treatment, lodging, travel or food.
St. Jude patient Bailey with family
Make an impact for sickle cell patients like Bailey
Bailey’s parents knew there was a chance their children could have sickle cell disease. Bailey’s older brother was born healthy, but Bailey was diagnosed with the blood disorder shortly after birth. The family was referred to St. Jude right away, where “they do much more than we thought they did,” said Bailey’s mom, Monica. “They go over and beyond to make sure their patients are comfortable, and with the research, they are learning more about these diseases all the time.”
Every child deserves a chance to live their best life and celebrate every moment
World Sickle Cell Day is celebrated on June 19, with the goal of raising international awareness of sickle cell disease and the challenges patients and families face when confronting the disease.
Learn more about sickle cell treatment at St. Jude
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Making History at St. Jude
When St. Jude opened in 1962, Danny Thomas vowed the hospital would treat patients regardless of race, religion or ability to pay. In 1968, Dr. Rudolph Jackson became one of the first Black doctors at St. Jude.
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‘Always the First:’ Early St. Jude nurse helped pioneer sickle cell disease research
Maurice Walton Tate forged a path for others, driven by the tragic loss of her daughter before St. Jude opened.
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Meet Avery
Avery was diagnosed with sickle cell disease soon after birth and she received a bone marrow transplant at St. Jude in early 2023. Her donor was one of her older sisters.
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Like learning to walk, ‘I just always knew about St. Jude’
Through workplace, family and fraternity, David McKinney has been a lifelong supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Now, he’s encouraging his 6-year-old son to join the mission.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect a person’s red blood cells.
Normal blood cells
Sickled blood cells
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Normal red blood cells contain hemoglobin A, which carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, which causes the red blood cells to change from the round shape to a banana or “sickle” shape. Some complications from sickle cell disease include:
- infections
- painful swelling of hands and feet
- fatigue
- stroke
- organ damage
- pain
In some cases, people with sickle cell trait can have complications in certain conditions, such as:
- dehydration
- high altitudes
- heavy periods of exercise
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Approximately 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease. According to the CDC, sickle cell disease is most common among people with ancestors from sub-Saharan Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Central America, Saudi Arabia, India and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece and Italy.
One out of every 13 African Americans in the United States has the sickle cell trait, with a chance of having a child with sickle cell disease if both parents carry the trait.
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World Sickle Cell Day is an annual day of recognition to raise international awareness around SCD and the challenges patients and families face when confronting this illness. At St. Jude, sickle cell is more than a disease that gets the spotlight for one day — it is a continuous effort to save children around the world.
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World Sickle Cell Day, sometimes referred to as World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, is June 19.
Help us find cures for sickle cell patients
Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors.
Because of your support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families.
St. Jude patient Ashly
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