St. Jude families find community through art in anticipation of Sickle Cell Awareness Month
Patients of all ages, and their siblings, let their creativity flow and talk about what makes them feel strong.
September 09, 2025 • 1 min
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has one of the largest programs for sickle cell Disease in the country.
That means there are a lot of patients. Most are referred for treatment when they are babies. And the treatment program at St. Jude lasts until age 18.
Each patient has a treatment plan tailored to their individual needs and visits St. Jude for appointments, education and anything related to managing this specific blood disorder.
One recent summer morning, a group of patients and their siblings sat down together for an art party hosted by ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
They didn’t all know each other, and they were all different ages. But it’s nice to be with a group of people that understands what you’re going through. A group that knows how unpredictable life is with sickle cell disease, how it affects the entire family, emotionally and physically. With a group like that, you can skip the awkward questions and talk about what makes you happy.
As everyone sat down at the art party table, there was some chatting and giggling. Courtney, who is 24 and grew up coming to St. Jude, took the opportunity to survey the faces around her and remember different stages of her own life, from grade school to high school.
Everyone in that room, we’re so strong. I had never gotten to see that from my perspective, as a bit older. And so it was really cool to see.
Things got quiet as the kids began to let their creative minds flow. They took in the blank sheets of paper, the markers and pencils, the tabletop easels and brushes, the rainbow selection of paint colors: sky blue, emerald green, lilac purple, popsicle orange, sunshine yellow. They leaned into their work, low over the table, watching their creations take shape.
Courtney painted a majestic old tree with a full canopy of leaves. Bailey drew an abstract geometric maze. Maddalynn painted a flaming orange sunset over a river flowing through a green field.
Her sister Maziyah saw the blank page as a way to manifest her own future. She used bold pencil lines to sketch a collage of images: a medical name tag on a lanyard, a human brain, a woman with kind eyes, her hair in a bun, wearing a surgical mask. Her dream is to become a neurosurgeon.
She tells her mom, “I want to take care of sick kids.”
