Upcoming Events
Join us
September 19, 2015
for the
4th Annual
Frank White 5k Walk/Run & Arts Festival!
The 4th Annual Frank White 5K Walk/Run is a Sickle Cell benefit.
An estimated 100,000 people live with Sickle Cell in the United States.
Your participation will support research to find a cure.
“Together we will break the Sickle Cycle and find a cure”. ~SCDAA
About the disease:
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that involves the red blood cells. Rather than being round, many of the red blood cells become sickle shaped when they lose oxygen. When sickle shaped, cells are fragile and break down more rapidly than they can be replaced. As a result anemia is consistently present. Sickle cells are also rigid and this feature, plus their shape, result in periodic plugging of blood vessels, thereby preventing the delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs. The anemia and obstruction of blood flow account for most of the health problems that individuals with this disease experience.
Symptoms of the disease are fatigue, loss of appetite and higher risk of infections.
The most common and disturbing feature of the disease is the occurrence of pain attacks from the plugging of blood vessels. They may occur at any time and in any part of the body, and are of varying duration and severity.
Pain Awareness Month is a time when various organizations work to raise public awareness about pain and pain management.
Relieving Pain in Kansas City (RPnKC), the local effort of the Pain Action Alliance to Implement a National Strategy (PAINS), a program of the Center for Practical Bioethics, is a sponsor for this event.
Chronic pain is a symptom of Sickle Cell and many other diseases.
The mission of PAINS is to transform the way pain is perceived, judged and treated. The primary goal is to establish chronic pain as a public health priority. RPnKC is a dedicated group of individuals who live with pain and/or those who care for someone living in pain.
The goals of RPnKC are to increase awareness and educate Kansas Citian's about chronic pain as a disease, participate in efforts to improve treatment models, increase access to integrative pain management in the area, and create an infrastructure to support the psychosocial needs of those living with chronic pain and their families.
How can you help? - Plan to participate!
Organize a team, get a sponsor or ask for pledges from friends or family.
All registration fees, donations and pledges will go to the Sickle Cell Disease Association.