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Kirti Dasu was born in South East India and was diagnosed with SCD at 4 months old. His two younger siblings were also born with the disease. In 1988, knowledge of sickle cell was limited everywhere, but in Dasu’s community it was almost unheard of. His younger brother died of sickle cell complications at age 3. “[The doctors] didn’t know much, so they treated him the way they treated me, and it was fatal,” Dasu said.
His family was poor and, because Dasu’s condition was acute, repeated visits to the hospital strained their meager resources. Often, the kindness of neighbors seemed to be an answer to his mother’s prayers, as she sat on the doorstep wondering how they’d make it to the hospital this time … and how they’d afford the treatment.
