Dear Friends,

The day that we learned that the hospital's newborn screening identified that Juliet was born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells, we were scared, worried, and unsure of how we would care for her. The next day, we learned that Juliet would be cared for by many of the best healthcare professionals in the world at Johns Hopkins Children's Center. From our very first meeting with the team in the Department of Pediatric Hematology in 2011, our family has been tremendously grateful for the care Juliet has received. 

Meet Juliet

Fast forward eleven years and to know Juliet is to know a girl whose smile lights up a room. She is curious, strong, opinionated, wise, and motivated. Juliet is also:

• A loving daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend;
• A conscientious student at Immaculate Conception School; and
• A budding musical theater actress and an entrepreneur (IG: @earcandyhm)

In spite of the fact that she is just days removed from her last hospital admission, Juliet is not and will not be defined by her illness experience. In fact, she is exactly who she is meant to be. We are sharing Juliet's story during the Children's Center’s biggest fundraising initiative because are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that her future--like Juliet herself--will not be defined by this illness experience.

Support Juliet’s Journey Towards a Bright Future

Any financial contribution you can make as part of Juliet's Radiothon team will make it possible for her and other children with serious health challenges to continue to receive outstanding care at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. In the case of SCD, your contribution will also advance the promising research underway that will move us closer to a cure with fewer complications and greater accessibility. All donations are tax deductible.

Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please search for one of the participants and then click the "Support This Participant" button on their page. Donations can only be made to individuals, but the total each participant raises goes toward our team goal.

Learn more about SCD

SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”. The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious problems such infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)