by Patricia Wilson-Smith | Mar 29, 2026 | Stories
The journey of the Watts family with sickle cell disease began with both joy and uncertainty. Like many families, Velvet Watts welcomed the birth of her son with dreams, plans, and hope for his future. Shortly after his birth, those dreams were reshaped when newborn...
by Patricia Wilson-Smith | Feb 3, 2026 | Advocacy & Policy, Education
The sickle cell disease community has an important reason to celebrate. In early February, Congress passed a federal government funding package for fiscal year 2026 that preserves critical investments in sickle cell disease programs and advances long-fought...
by Patricia Wilson-Smith | Dec 31, 2025 | Sickle Cell News
Why winter can be harder with SCD Cold exposure can contribute to pain episodes for many people with sickle cell. Winter also adds: school schedule disruptions, respiratory illness spikes, holiday travel, and weather-related access issues. A practical winter checklist...
by Patricia Wilson-Smith | Dec 31, 2025 | Sickle Cell News
In August 2025, Reuters reported that Pfizer’s experimental sickle cell drug inclacumab failed to meet its main goal in a late-stage study (no significant difference in vaso-occlusive crisis frequency vs placebo). Reuters Why this still matters When a trial fails, it...
by Patricia Wilson-Smith | Dec 31, 2025 | Advocacy & Policy, Education, Sickle Cell News
In January 2025, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority published an annual update evaluating how SoonerCare serves members with sickle cell disease—an ongoing effort tied to state legislative requirements. Welcome to Oklahoma’s Official Web Site The key point:...
