jill toomer

I am raising money for Team Ali  to support innovative research and care for kids with sickle cell disease at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). 100,000 Americans live with sickle cell disease, and CHOP cares for more than 1,000 patients with sickle cell disease annually, providing a 24/7 on-call hematologist, specialized testing, monitoring and individualized treatment for children into adulthood. With your help, we can close the gap to find a cure for this painful disease and offer new hope to families who need it most.

Why I Walk:

• A Cure is Within Reach: Children with sickle cell disease can experience excruciating pain, repeated visits to the Emergency Department and have a high risk of stroke. Currently, the only cure for this chronic disease is a bone marrow transplant, which is so limited that relatively few procedures are completed. Innovative research at CHOP is committed to ending this cycle through genotyping, transfusion improvements, platelet inhibition studies, and complication prevention. New therapies are being created through the CuRED Frontier Program where research is focusing on breakthrough gene therapies that can bring healthy bone marrow into the blood cells. These cures are being created now so no parent will never have to hear "your child had sickle cell disease" again.

How Can You Help?

By donating to support sickle cell disease research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, you are offering sick children and their families hope for a future free of disease.

Thank you for your support!