Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota

Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota Improving the quality of life for individuals and communities affected by sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait.

Sickle Cell Foundation of MN (SCFMN) is the ONLY active sickle cell community-based organization in the state of Minnesota. We are also a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization. Our Mission: Improving the lives of individuals and communities affected by sickle cell disease through education, advocacy, access to resources, and community empowerment. Our Values: Strong Individuals, Healthy Communities and Equitable Access to Health Care. We exist to provide education, support, advocacy and exposure to Sickle Cell Disease as we give a face, a voice, and a purpose to a little-known community that has been under-served and ignored for far too long!

10/01/2026

🧡💪🏾

September was FULL. ❤️🩸🌍This month we highlighted:💪🏾 💪🏾 Our partnership with MN-SCDC + the Minnesota Department of Hea...
10/01/2026

September was FULL. ❤️🩸🌍

This month we highlighted:

💪🏾
💪🏾 Our partnership with MN-SCDC + the Minnesota Department of Health
💪🏾 Minnesota lighting up RED
💪🏾 Taijah’s Warrior Spotlight
💪🏾 Blood donation awareness
💪🏾 2 YouTube Podcasts: 2.0 and Real Talk

We spent this month doing what we do all year: educating, advocating and amplifying community voices.

And this September took us all the way to Nairobi, Kenya 🇰🇪, where I had the honor of representing Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota as a speaker, panel facilitator at the Global Sickle Cell Disease (GASCDO) Conference. What an experience! 🌍

I’m proud of what our little Minnesota organization continues to accomplish — locally, nationally and globally — and grateful to every warrior, family, partner and supporter who fuels our work every day.

September 30 may end Sickle Cell Awareness Month, but advocacy doesn’t end September 30.

The work continues. ❤️

— Rae Blaylark, President & CEO

We made it from A to Z. ❤️🩸26 letters. Dozens of conversations about the science, symptoms, treatments, people and lived...
10/01/2026

We made it from A to Z. ❤️🩸

26 letters. Dozens of conversations about the science, symptoms, treatments, people and lived experiences of .

But SCD could never fit into just 26 letters.

Behind every letter are PEOPLE — with different experiences, different needs, different goals and lives much bigger than # .

So Z isn't the end. ❤️

We keep learning.
We keep listening.
We keep advocating.
We keep the conversation going.

Thank you for taking this journey with us. 🥹

Which letter taught you something new? 👇🏾

SickleSmart

Z is for ZINC. 🧬🥗Zinc is a small mineral with some pretty important jobs — supporting growth, immune function, wound hea...
10/01/2026

Z is for ZINC. 🧬🥗

Zinc is a small mineral with some pretty important jobs — supporting growth, immune function, wound healing and overall health.

People with may be at greater risk for zinc deficiency, making nutrition a VERY IMPORTANT part of

🥩 Meat & poultry
🦐 Seafood
🫘 Beans & legumes
🥜 Nuts & seeds
🌾 Whole grains

But more isn't always better. ⚠️ Zinc supplements aren't something everyone with SCD automatically needs. Too much can cause problems and may interfere with other nutrients or medications.

Talk with your healthcare team about whether testing or supplementation makes sense for YOU. ❤️

We made it all the way to Z! 🎉
But we're not quite finished yet...

Zinc Nutrition SickleCellNutrition SickleCellAwareness

Y is for YELLOW EYES. 👀💛Ever wonder why some people with have yellow eyes? 🤔Red blood cells with SCD break down faster...
09/30/2026

Y is for YELLOW EYES. 👀💛

Ever wonder why some people with have yellow eyes? 🤔

Red blood cells with SCD break down faster than usual (every 10-20 days vs 120 days for healthy rbc's) — this breakdown process is called hemolysis. 🩸🫩 That breakdown produces bilirubin, a yellow substance that can build up in the blood and cause yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin, called jaundice.

For some warriors, a certain amount of yellowing may be familiar. What's important is knowing YOUR usual baseline and paying attention when something changes.

⚠️ New or worsening yellowing
🟤 Dark urine
🤍 Pale or unusually light stools
🤒 Fever or feeling unwell
🤕 Abdominal pain, especially on the right side

These can be reasons to contact your healthcare team.

And yellow eyes aren't something to be embarrassed about. They're something to UNDERSTAND. ❤️

YELLOW • YOUR BODY • YOUR BASELINE • YOUR CARE • YOU

Yes, we found a Y! 😏
What other Y words can you think of? 👇🏾💬

Jaundice Hemolysis Bilirubin SickleCellAwareness

V is for VARIANCES. 🧬🩸Sickle cell disease isn't just one disease — it's an umbrella term for several hemoglobin variants...
09/29/2026

V is for VARIANCES. 🧬🩸

Sickle cell disease isn't just one disease — it's an umbrella term for several hemoglobin variants.

🔴 HbSS — Sickle Cell Anemia
🟠 HbSC — Hemoglobin S + Hemoglobin C
🔵 HbSβ⁰ — Sickle Beta-Zero Thalassemia
🟢 HbSβ⁺ — Sickle Beta-Plus Thalassemia
🟣 HbSD — Hemoglobin S + Hemoglobin D
🟡 HbSO-Arab — Hemoglobin S + Hemoglobin O-Arab
🟤 HbSE — Hemoglobin S + Hemoglobin E
➕ Other less-common HbS variants

They are ALL forms of .

And here's what's important: your VARIANT doesn't tell your whole story.

Pain, anemia, organ complications, treatment needs and overall disease burden can VARY — even between people with the very same hemoglobin variant.

That's why SCD care should focus on the individual, not assumptions about what someone's genotype is “supposed” to look like. ❤️

VARIANTS • VARIANCES • VARY • VARIABLE • VOICE • VALUE

Do you have a variant other than HbSS? TELL us your variant and where you're from... 👇🏾💬

🧬 Sickle cell did NOT begin in 1910. ...and it didn’t begin in America!Its story goes back thousands of years—to human g...
09/28/2026

🧬 Sickle cell did NOT begin in 1910. ...and it didn’t begin in America!

Its story goes back thousands of years—to human genetics, malaria, survival, migration, and generations of families across the world. 🌍

Here’s the story 👉🏾

🌍 ORIGINS: The sickle hemoglobin variant (HbS) arose in malaria-endemic regions, including multiple regions of Africa. Over generations, human movement carried HbS around the world.

🔬 1910 WASN’T THE BEGINNING: Walter Clement Noel, a dental student from Grenada, became the patient behind the landmark 1910 Western medical description of sickled red blood cells. The disease existed long before Western medicine documented it.

🦟 WHY MALARIA MATTERS: One copy of HbS—sickle cell trait—provided some protection against severe malaria. That survival advantage helped HbS persist across generations.

🧬 ONE SMALL GENETIC CHANGE: A change in the HBB gene produces HbS. When certain hemoglobin variants are inherited together, they can cause .
❤️ AND THE STORY IS STILL BEING WRITTEN.

Today we have , disease-modifying therapies, stem cell transplantation, gene therapies, and a much deeper understanding of sickle cell disease than generations before us had.

But scientific progress only matters when people can access it...

From an ancient genetic adaptation to a global community—and now to treatments and curative therapies once unimaginable:

This is the origin story of disease.

📌 Save this carousel.
🔁 Share it with someone who only knows part of the story.
💬 What part of sickle cell history surprised you most?

Hemoglobin SickleCellHistory

U is for URGENCY. 🚨🩸With , some symptoms should NOT wait.🚨 Uncontrolled or severe pain🌡️ Fever of 101.5°F or higher🫁 Ch...
09/26/2026

U is for URGENCY. 🚨🩸

With , some symptoms should NOT wait.

🚨 Uncontrolled or severe pain
🌡️ Fever of 101.5°F or higher
🫁 Chest pain or trouble breathing
🧠 Stroke signs
⚠️ Sudden or unusual weakness, extreme fatigue, or other concerning changes
♂️ Priapism lasting 4 hours or longer

❓ NOT SURE IF IT'S URGENT?

Pay attention if:
✓ It feels different than usual.
✓ It's getting worse quickly.
✓ Your usual treatment isn't working.
✓ You just don't feel right.

Know what's usual for YOUR body — and don't ignore what feels unusual, unrelenting, or concerning. **When in doubt, get checked.** ❤️

URGENT • UNCONTROLLED • UNUSUAL • UNRELENTING • UNDERSTAND • USE YOUR VOICE

How many more U words can you uncover? 👇🏾💬

KnowTheSigns

Address

P. O. Box 22306
Minneapolis, MN
55422

Telephone

+17636075555

Website

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