The first time D’Yana heard of sickle cell disease, she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter she would name Ari’Yanna. During routine blood tests, her obstetrician informed D’Yana she carried the trait for the genetic blood disorder. Sickle cell disease develops when a child inherits a copy of the sickle cell gene from both parents. She filed the information away as good to know but didn’t grasp the full weight of it until her daughter was diagnosed with sickle cell disease following a newborn screening.
That’s when Ari’Yanna was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, home to one of the largest sickle cell programs in the country. St. Jude treats about 850 patients while continuously refining medical care through research and transformative treatments such as gene therapy and bone marrow transplant.