Meet Caylin!

Caylin was just a few weeks old when she was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. A condition that causes the red blood cells to get stuck in the blood vessels, blocking blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

Growing up, the slightest fever meant a trip to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she would be hospitalized for at least 24 hours to receive high-dose antibiotics to prevent infection.

Caylin has undergone blood transfusions every three weeks since age five to decrease the pain and reduce the risk of stroke. The transfusions can take up to four hours. She is currently involved in a clinical trial of a drug that could eliminate the need for blood transfusions, a possibility that has Caylin and her family very excited.

“That’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited about being at Children’s Hospital, because it’s cutting-edge research, and they have a great Hematology department that supports and prioritizes sickle cell patients,” says Caylin’s mom, Melissa.