Annie Jane

About the Book

This book is designed to motivate people to donate blood to those who suffer sickle cell anemia. It also can be used as an educational tool and for classroom discussion, but most importantly, it's to be enjoyed by all ages. Annie Jane is a fictional character with a real life problem—she has sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell is an inherited disease of the red blood cells. Kids with this illness can relate to Annie Jane because she's a regular ten-year-old girl who loves to make-believe, play soccer, and listen to her favorite music, jazz, while she deals with trying to keep enough fluids in her body so she can stay hydrated. She recently overcame her fear of the hospital and receiving blood transfusions. She thinks of fun things while she receives blood and how much better she'll feel after going to the hospital. She is a brave little solider like all the rest of the kids living with this devastating illness. She is honor roll student, and her teacher knows her condition and allows Annie Jane to make up for any homework or classroom project she may have missed because she was in the hospital due to sickle cell crisis pain. Crisis are recurrent attacks of pain. She has crisis about every two or three months. Sometimes her crisis are moderate; she need only to take her prescription medicine. But sometimes her crisis are severe; she needs to be hospitalized. She also has monthly blood transfusion. Annie Jane is a thoughtful kid. She sends her thankfulness to Carolyn Walker, Dr. Patricia Adams-Graves, Dr. Robin Womeodu, and the staff at Diggs-Kraus Sickle Cell Center at the Med in Memphis, Tennessee.

About the Author