"I wish that people just actually knew of the hardships, the physical hardships that it had. I think that we would be more conscious of it and more aware of it and more empathetic."

"I wish people would understand that it's not just a black disease. That it deserves the same consideration as other diseases, because it really does affect a broad range of people. It just really does."

"I was a single parent. His father and I divorced when my son turned one. I didn't know anything much about sickle cell disease, so when they sent me a letter to state that my son had the sickle cell disease..."

"I’ve seen it, and we’ve experienced it many times. The thing is, Marqus, he’s quiet, but when he’s in pain everybody knows. It gets me mad especially when they think ‘well, you don’t look like you’re in pain.’"