Femi Pinto Sickle Cell Fund
The Femi Pinto Sickle Cell Fund (FPSF) was created by Nike Aremu and Ronke Akinbode to preserve the memory of their sister: Olufemi “Pinto” Aderibigbe by raising awareness and improve services for patients with Sickle Cell disease.
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle Cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”. The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious problems such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.
According to WHO, about 300,000 children worldwide are born with sickle cell disease. Nigeria records the highest disease incidence in the world with approximately 91,011 children born with the defect. The rate accounts for almost 2% of all newborns annually.
