Sickle Cell Lifespan Center – Midlands

The Prisma Health Sickle Cell Lifespan Center is unique in that it provides care for individuals living with sickle cell disease across the entire age spectrum. This is one of the only programs in the country—and even internationally—that offers care in this way.

We started this lifespan care program in 2017 here in the Upstate. We wanted to take what we learned from excellent pediatric care and invite adults into that same model—focused on prevention, disease-modifying therapies, and cutting-edge research.

Thanks to funding from the South Carolina Department of Public Health, we’ve been able to expand. Our goal: ensure two-thirds of South Carolina has access to this model of care.

We partnered with our sister program in Columbia to continue their excellent pediatric care and help build an adult care model that mirrors what works in the Upstate.

With this funding, we’re creating a transition-age clinic for patients aged 19–26. They’ll move from pediatric to adult care, embedded within the adult medical home.

We’re also hiring more adult providers, nurse navigators, psychologists, and advanced practice providers to offer inpatient consults. It’s a family-centered approach, with the patient at the center and a team around them.

I was first diagnosed with sickle cell disease around age six or seven. I remember always being in the hospital, unable to do what I wanted—especially spending time with my family.

I’ve been with Prisma since the beginning. I love coming here. Everyone is understanding and listens. Dr. Carla is my doctor—I love her so much. The staff is really nice.

What I wish people understood about sickle cell is that it’s not always visible. We may look healthy and energetic, but behind closed doors, we’re in pain.

Sickle cell warriors are resilient. We smile while fighting. Prisma Health has been great—I can count on my doctors, especially Dr. Anderson. Even the receptionist has known me since I was very little. We have a great relationship.

Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited red blood cell disorder, affecting over 100,000 people in the U.S.

Hemoglobin carries oxygen throughout the body. In sickle cell patients, hemoglobin forms long rods under stress, changing red blood cells into a crescent shape.

Normal red blood cells look like donuts and can squeeze through tight spaces. Sickle-shaped cells struggle to pass through small blood vessels, affecting the brain, kidneys, lungs—every part of the body.

Stressors like temperature changes, altitude, infection, anxiety, and depression can trigger a crisis.

The hallmark of the disease is chronic, debilitating bone pain. Without oxygen, cells die—especially in the bones—causing intense pain, often compared to cancer pain.

To those navigating sickle cell disease: there is hope. We’ve made progress in treatment, medicine, and understanding what worsens the disease.

Even without outward signs, damage can occur beneath the surface. Change comes from hope—and we want every individual to know:

We’re here for you. We’ll walk with you through this disease so you can see the hope on the horizon.