Rae Blaylark: Standing on African Soil, Speaking for a Global Sickle Cell Community

Rae Blaylark, Executive Director and Systems Transformation Lead at Sickle Cell Foundation of MN, shared on Facebook: 'There are moments when you realize just how far this work has traveled. Standing in Nairobi at the 3rd Global Sickle Cell Disease Conference, surrounded by warriors, caregivers, advocates, clinicians AND leaders from across the globe was one of them. It was especially meaningful to hear Hon. Aden Duale, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Health, speak directly to the urgency of strengthening sickle cell care – and to share a moment with him afterward. And then there's Dr. Yvette Kisaka, Sickle Cell and Cardiovascular Technical Lead within Kenya's Ministry of Health – bringing the room together with the kind of presence and purpose that reminds you this movement is as much about people as it is policy and medicine. For me, this is why being here in Kenya matters!!! Standing on African soil, among a global community, helping shape conversations about the disease that changed my American family's life. Yeah… that part hit me. We are not simply attending conferences anymore. Our voices belong in the rooms where the future of sickle cell is being shaped. And I intend to keep showing up. Thank you Global Alliance of Sickle Cell Disease Organizations' You may also be interested in: Kenneth Ataga Leads Efforts to Improve Lives of Patients With Sickle Cell Disease – UT Health Sciences