By Kelsey Durham
Hundreds of people walked the streets of Jamaica last weekend in support of finding a cure for sickle-cell anemia.
The community came together Sunday for the annual 5K Walk/Run hosted by the Queens Sickle Cell Advocacy Network, which has been organizing the event since the 1980s in an effort to raise awareness and funds to fight the disease.
Many participants held signs or donned custom T-shirts as they walked in honor of loved ones who died from the disease or who are currently fighting it.
Rashida Che Moore, a QSCAN volunteer who became involved with the organization after being diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia herself years ago, said the hereditary condition is common mostly within the African-American community, with one in four people carrying the trait.
But Moore said the disease can affect anyone, and she said events such as Sunday’s walk are great ways to educate people about it.
“The best thing you can do is spread awareness,” said Moore, who was walking for the third year in a row last weekend. “I believe I’m doing as much as I can to spread awareness. Every day I put up a new post online with something people might not know about sickle-cell so they can learn more about it.”
Sickle-cell anemia is a genetic disease that causes red blood cells, normally round, to be produced in a C-shape and get stuck in arteries, blocking blood flow to the body’s organs. The condition can cause a great amount of pain to those who suffer from it, and many people who carry the disease, even today, do not live past their 40s or 50s.
Darlene Hoffman, a Jamaica native who now lives in Westchester County, came to Sunday’s walk in support of her 19-year-old son, Charles, who has been treated for sickle-cell anemia since his birth. Despite the hardships he has faced to deal with his diagnosis, Hoffman said her son is living the life of a normal teenager and now attends college at the University of Buffalo, maintaining a 3.5 grade point average.
“I’ve always come out to support this organization because they’ve always been there for us,” Hoffman said of QSCAN. “I think this has helped raise a lot of awareness and you get to connect with other people who are experiencing the same thing.”
The large group of advocates started their walk outside York College and traveled the 3.1 miles down Merrick Boulevard to Roy Wilkins Park, where the event wrapped up with refreshments. As this year’s fund-raiser ended, participants and organizers said they were happy with the turnout and said they hope the event would continue to spread awareness about a disease that can affect anyone you know.
“The main thing is awareness, letting people know that you may be the only one in your family with sickle-cell and you might think you’re alone, but you’re not alone,” said Curt Flirt, a Queens Village resident who came out to support a friend with the disease. “A neighbor, a classmate, someone you know probably has it, and we’re all here fighting this common opponent.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
