The St. Croix Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta is holding a "Sunrise Walk and Dip” walk-a-thon at 6 a.m. Saturday from Budhoe Park to Frederiksted Pool in observance of Sickle Cell Awareness Month.
At least 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell anemia, an inherited, lifelong disorder that affects the red blood cells. Red blood cells move oxygen from the lungs throughout the body and normal red blood cells are round, doughnut-shaped and able to move easily through the blood vessels. In contrast, sickle cells are abnormal, crescent-shaped red blood cells with a tendency to block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs, which can lead to pain, serious infections and organ damage.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates about 2 million people in the U.S. are sickle cell carriers, meaning that although they have no symptoms, they have inherited one sickle cell gene from a parent and could pass it along to their children. When two sickle cell carriers have a child together, there is a 25 percent chance that the child will be born with the disease.
The disease is most common among African Americans but occurs in people of Hispanic, Indian, Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. “We are happy to learn that most states and territories routinely test newborns for sickle cell prior to them leaving the hospital and urge parents to request the test so that they are aware early of their child’s status,” said Desiree Illidge, the sorority’s St. Croix chapter president, in a statement.
Participants are asked to pledge a minimum donation of $10. Proceeds will benefit the sorority’s Sickle Cell Fund, which awards a scholarship to a deserving student with the sickle cell disease or trait.
Participants are asked to wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers on Saturday and come prepared to take dip at the pool following the walk. A light breakfast will be served following the walk.
For more information, contact Illidge at 340-513-4545 or via email to the St. Croix Alumnae Chapter at stxalumnae@yahoo.com.
