Research and improvements in the medication used to treat sickle cell disease are positively impacting survivability and quality of life for patients battling the genetic blood disorder.

Dr. Joy Ogunsile, medical director at Memorial’s sickle cell day center, says the advancements are providing hope to warriors who once believed their diagnosis was equivalent to a death sentence. “Now, people living with sickle cell disease have options for curative therapies,” said Dr. Ogunsile, a hematologist that received fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

A native of Nigeria, Dr. Ogunsile is currently working to build a comprehensive program that provides optimum, evidence-based care in an empathetic way. She says the empathetic approach is critical for patients who not only deal with chronic, sometimes debilitating pain, but are also at greater risk of blood clots, stroke, liver disease, heart, and kidney failure.