Kyriako Damavoletes has HbS beta thalassemia. This means he received a HbS gene from one parent and a beta thalassemia gene from the other.
Both Damavoletes and his younger sister have HbS beta thal.
He knew he was different by about age 4 or 5, but it wasn’t until middle school that he truly understood the impact the disease would have on his life.