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i in- ir 12 economist sunlsuntribune wellness saturday may 13 2006 sports a problem when red blood cells lacking by michael power staff writer she was bom with a disease that in its most severe form can kill but danielle eddy counts herself lucky thestoufrvillearea resident has a type of sickle cell anemia a blood disorder affecting certain racial groups but her condition is not as serious as some versions of the ill ness ifs not as harsh on your body but its still a concern she said and she considers herself fortu nate to live in this country where health care is good enough to deal with sickle cell disease without care it would have gone untreated and who knows what would have happened ms eddy 18 said seed of life a nonprofit organi zation holds a forum may 27 to dis cuss sickle cell anemia the forum is designed to raise awareness of a dis ease that doesnt get the headlines given to cancer or heart disease sickle cell anemia is an inherited condition in which there arent enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body usually red blood cells are flexi ble round and move easily through blood vessels with sickle cell anemia blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like crescent moons or sickles the cells die prematurely leading to a chronic shortage it can also lead to joint swelling fever and respiratory infections the deformed cells can also slow or block blood flow and oxygen sickle cell anemia along with its variants affects ethnic groups such as africans caribbeans latin americans middle eastern people and south asians as well as some mediterranean countries there is no cure for the painful often lifethreatening condition unlike those with the more severe version ms eddy doesnt have to make frequent trips to the hospital but the condition affects her life in other ways during basketball i couldnt have long shifts or run long dis tances said ms eddy whose back ground is caribbean i dont have the same oxygen intake so it harms my ability to run long distances it was sickle cell anemias low- profile that swayed vaughan resi dent dolapo olumide to start vol unteering with seed of life in order to raise awareness the children of a friend have the condition which forces the friend to miss a lot of work ms olumide said theyre always in the hospital at least once a week she said its a disease that affects a lot of people but theres a lack of research being done on it seed of life president lanre tunjiajayi also has a personal rea son for raising awareness her brother sunday died of the disease eight years ago at age 30 she remembers the pain he went through some people carry a normal hemoglobin gene and a sickle hemoglobin gene these people showno symptoms of sickle cell and may not know they carry the cell trait but can pass it on to their chil dren theres a genetic test available to determine whether you carry the sickle hemoglobin gene said ms tunjiajayi who is from africa getting tested will help parents decide if they want to have children if theres a chance theyll develop the disease she said the may 27 forum starts at 430 pm at revival times tabernacle danielle eddy stouffvillearea teenagers form of sickle eel limits her basketball play ministries at 4340 dufferin st in toronto those interested in attending can call 4167454267 or visit wwwseedoflifepoorg you are invited to present your opinion public delegations will be received on wednesday may 17 2006 from 900 am 930 am during solid waste management committee and 700 pm 900 pm at york regions administrative centre 17250 yonge street committee room a main floor newmarket please register for your 5 minute delegation in advance of the may 17 2006 sessions by contacting karin price at 18774649675 ext 13j22 or karinpriceyorkca fqr more information please visitwwwdurhanyorkwa5teca or call 18003721102 ext 3731 yormsegion rentals repairs instore financing trades used instruments music lessons for every age level style mention this ad and receive s 1 0 off your next rental see store for details bringing wwstc tomarkham long mcquade musical instruments g 9833 highway 4 8- sof major mac markhamlongmcquadecom office depot hiking care of ffwfnetr 1 saves0 canon photo paper plus semigloss 20pk 519608 reg 995 look for this and other exciting specials in this weeks action packed insert full of fantastic specials while supplies last limit 3 pvcuitoinei ignore oxilyjlii01306 thfqushj0 m