By A.J. Dugger III
The Memphis-based Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee has recently expanded to Nashville. “We’re providing education to the community,” said Trevor Thompson, founder and CEO of The Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee. “Sickle cell is a hereditary blood disorder,” said Patrycya King Williams, a member of The Advisory Council for The Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee’s Nashville Chapter.“Normal blood cells are round. But people with sickle cells have cells more like a sickle. As they flow through the blood they get caught. That’s what causes the pain. There’s different levels of the disease.”
Thompson used to get sick as a child but no one knew why. It wasn’t until his adult years that he discovered that he had Sickle Cell Disease. “All my life I thought I had the trait until I went into the Army. They told me I didn’t have the trait but I have the disease.” Thompson was shocked to discover the news. However, the revelation made a lot of sense. “It was a relief to me because growing up, I would get sick and people would think I was faking. Even in the lab they wouldn’t see anything.”
According to Thompson, sickle cell victims are vulnerable to weather changes. “I would get sick when the weather changed. Our bodies react to that. Back when I was a kid, the research wasn’t as highly developed as it is now.” In 2008, Thompson decided to do something to inform the Memphis community about Sickle Cell Disease. “I noticed we didn’t have our own organization here in Memphis. We didn’t have any community-based organizations to further the education about the disease or social services.”
The organization was founded in Memphis but is expanding to Nashville and other areas. The Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee provides services for locations in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. Their services include assistance for utilities, burial, housing and transportation. “We have a transition house in Memphis for people who need temporary housing. We’re trying to duplicate that success in the Middle Tennessee area,” explained Thompson.
Williams, like Thompson, has been personally affected by Sickle Cell. “My daughter is 13 and she has the Sickle Cell Trait,” Williams said. “Out of our three children we only have one child that is the trait carrier. We want people to be aware of what’s going on and want to minimize the amount of children born into the world with Sickle Cell.”
Williams noticed that the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee did not have an office in Nashville until recently. “When I reached out to him (Thompson) about the concert I wanted to do here, he asked me if I’d like to be on the Advisory Council for the Nashville Chapter,” she said. “We (the council) meet with people and their families. We try to get feedback from them to meet their needs.”
Williams and her company, PK Williams Enterprises, are teaming with The Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee to host a benefit concert on Oct.19 at B.B. King’s club in Nashville called “Sing For Sickle Cell.”
The event will feature entertainment by celebrity guests including Shannon Sanders, Cole Robb, Michelle Vida, Chris Sanders, Kevin Dyson, J Whaley and more. For infor- mation on ticket purchasing and pricing, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sing-for-sickle-cell-benefit-concert-tickets-12885644309
Featured Image Caption: Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee CEO Trevor Thompson with Patrycya King Williams