This episode was originally released on November 17, 2021 | In honor of National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, Holland & Knight's Public Policy & Regulation Group is proud to partner with the Black Women's Health Imperative for a four-part podcast series on sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a genetic disease that causes red blood cells, which are normally round, to become C-shaped like a sickle. It is a progressive and debilitating disease that can cause pain crises, organ damage and a shortened lifespan, and it disproportionately impacts communities of color, occurring in approximately one in every 365 Black or African American individuals in the United States.This episode is co-hosted by Holland & Knight Senior Policy Advisor Shawna Watley, Chief Policy Officer & Senior Counsel for Black Women’s Health Imperative Tammy Boyd and Senior Director for Alliance Development and Government Affairs at bluebird bio Sonya Elling. They are joined by Ty Montgomery, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League and returning guest Dr. Anjulika Chawla, M.D., FAAP, of bluebird bio, a Massachusetts-based company focused on developing gene and cell therapies for severe and rare genetic diseases including sickle cell. Together, they tackle the challenges of playing sports with sickle cell trait and how Ty has learned to overcome those challenges during his professional football career. This discussion also emphasizes the importance of educating the community on how to cope with the disease and how you can help by donating blood and bone marrow. Dr. Chawla also gives us a detailed explanation of the difference between sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease and gives us exciting news about the future.