How did Shirene get sickle cell anaemia?
Shirene is 13 years old and has sickle cell anaemia. She has had sickle cell anaemia all of her life. Some of Shirene’s red blood cells are shaped like sickles because the haemoglobin in them is abnormal. Sickled red blood cells can’t carry enough oxygen and also get stuck in small blood vessels. Shirene’s mum and dad both had one copy of the sickle cell anaemia gene and Shirene inherited a copy from each of them. This is what gave Shirene sickle cell anaemia and stopped the haemoglobin in her red blood cells from working properly. Shirene feels well most of the time, but sometimes she feels unwell and gets painful ‘crises’. These are caused by parts of her body not getting enough oxygen. She is learning how to look after herself so that she can avoid these crises.
