DR . LAMETRA SCOTTFounder
Breaking The SSickle Cell Foundation, Inc. was founded by Dr. Lametra Scott. In 2012, Dr. Scott gave birth to a son with sickle cell anemia type SS. Unbeknownst to her of her sickle cell trait status, Dr. Scott was informed during one of her prenatal exam visits that becauae she and her son's farther carried the sickle cell trait, there was a 25 % chance that their son could be born with sickle cell disease. Although the news was very unsettling, Dr. Scott is a strong believer in faith, and she believed that God would be the deciding factor as to if her son would be born with sickle cell disease. She held this belief because the word of God says "Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee" and IF God allowed it to happen it would bless them because he makes no mistakes, so she carried her pregnancy to term. |
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A few months after her son was born, he was tested at his primary care pediatrician's office and subsequently a few days after the testing, she was provided the wrong information regarding her son's condition. The information provided from the pediatrician's office was that Dr. Scott's son was only a "sickle cell trait carrier he did not have sickle cell disease". A few weeks later, Dr. Scott was contacted by a representative from the state of Tennessee's health department who requested her to take her son to the Matthew Walker Sickle Cell Center of Excellence in Nashville, TN for sickle cell confirmation testing. The confirmation testing was required because when he was tested at birth, he tested positive for sickle cell disease type SS and those results needed a secondary confirmation. This new information was devastating, to say the least to Dr. Scott and her husband, especially after they were originally informed by their private pediatrician that their son did not have sickle cell disease.
This unfortunate turn of events was the first inclination to Dr. Scott that all healthcare personnel/providers are not adequately educated on sickle cell disease and as a result patients are disadvantaged and may endure unnecessary pain suffering. As Dr. Scott began to research and educate herself on sickle cell disease, she also discovered that many people within the community are also not well educated on sickle cell disease or how to prevent it and as result they do not receive the proper care necessary to take care of themselves or others that may be afflicted by this chronic condition. After several months of contemplation and trying to uncover the "bigger picture", Dr. Scott's faiths lead her to the belief that there is purpose in your pain. Despite the fact that her son was born with sickle cell disease, which can be very painful and debilitating, there is also a greater purpose for this blessing because if God allowed it, it will bless you.
By profession Dr. Scott is a pharmacist. Pharmacists are viewed within the healthcare community as the medication experts and amongst the general public; pharmacists are viewed as the second most trusted healthcare professionals. She obtained her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University Of TN College Of Pharmacy and she also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology obtained from the University of Memphis. Her educational training, healthcare background and personal experience of being a sickle cell trait carrier and the mother of a child with sickle cell disease, have afforded Dr. Scott the opportunity and ability to use the lack of knowledge of sickle cell disease within the community as a means to bridge the gap and make efforts to break the sickle cell cycle. She finally uncovered the "bigger picture" and discovered the purpose in the pain of her son having sickle cell anemia. Dr. Scott realized that by promoting and providing sickle cell disease awareness, education and service, this is an opportunity to turn something potentially negative for her family into something positive for others and also contribute to improving the quality of life for all those touched by sickle cell disease rather directly or indirectly. These factors all worked together and lead to the founding of Breaking the SSickle Cell Cycle Foundation, Inc.
This unfortunate turn of events was the first inclination to Dr. Scott that all healthcare personnel/providers are not adequately educated on sickle cell disease and as a result patients are disadvantaged and may endure unnecessary pain suffering. As Dr. Scott began to research and educate herself on sickle cell disease, she also discovered that many people within the community are also not well educated on sickle cell disease or how to prevent it and as result they do not receive the proper care necessary to take care of themselves or others that may be afflicted by this chronic condition. After several months of contemplation and trying to uncover the "bigger picture", Dr. Scott's faiths lead her to the belief that there is purpose in your pain. Despite the fact that her son was born with sickle cell disease, which can be very painful and debilitating, there is also a greater purpose for this blessing because if God allowed it, it will bless you.
By profession Dr. Scott is a pharmacist. Pharmacists are viewed within the healthcare community as the medication experts and amongst the general public; pharmacists are viewed as the second most trusted healthcare professionals. She obtained her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from the University Of TN College Of Pharmacy and she also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology obtained from the University of Memphis. Her educational training, healthcare background and personal experience of being a sickle cell trait carrier and the mother of a child with sickle cell disease, have afforded Dr. Scott the opportunity and ability to use the lack of knowledge of sickle cell disease within the community as a means to bridge the gap and make efforts to break the sickle cell cycle. She finally uncovered the "bigger picture" and discovered the purpose in the pain of her son having sickle cell anemia. Dr. Scott realized that by promoting and providing sickle cell disease awareness, education and service, this is an opportunity to turn something potentially negative for her family into something positive for others and also contribute to improving the quality of life for all those touched by sickle cell disease rather directly or indirectly. These factors all worked together and lead to the founding of Breaking the SSickle Cell Cycle Foundation, Inc.