- http://www.wnyc.org/shows/rookies/articles/radio-rookies/2012/dec/11/sickle-cell/
- http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2012/dec/11/radio-rookies-sickle-cell-anemia/
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Engineers: Mike Jones and Michael Johnson
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
WNYC’s Radio Rookies works with youth across New York City to create first person documentaries about the concerns of teens. In Sickle and Me” 18-year-old Radio Rookie Bree Person gives listeners an inside look at her life with Sickle Cell Anemia. Nearly 100,000 Americans suffer from this painful blood disorder that shortens life-expectancy, yet Bree has found that most people know nothing about it. Sickle cells aren’t round like normal cells– they’re shaped like a crescent moon and Bree hates looking at them. Sometimes she hates talking about them, too — but she put together this report nevertheless. For the first time Bree has difficult conversations with her family, including talking to her mom about how long she’s expected to live. Bree interviewed Dr. Suzette Oyeku, a pediatrician in the Bronx who specializes in Sickle Cell treatment and research. “Even though the disease has been described for more than a hundred years it’s still pretty invisible to many people,” Oyeku says. “And there are many people that are suffering in silence.” Before this report, Bree would have put herself in that category. WNYC is proud to submit the story “Sickle and Me” for the 2013 Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.”
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
American Academy of Pediatrics Journal: Sickle Cell Disease: A Question of Equity and Quality by: Lauren A. Smith, MD, MPH, Suzette O. Oyeku, MD, MPH, Charles Homer, MD, MPH, Barry Zuckerman, MD Link: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/117/5/1763.full.html
Explain types of human sources used.
-Interviews with Bree Person’s family members who have first hand experience with the Sickle Cell disease. -Interview with Dr. Suzette Oyeku, a pediatrician in the Bronx who specializes in Sickle Cell treatment and research.
Results:
-Spreading awareness of what Sickle Cell Anemia is and the challenges that come with having the disease. -Continuing the conversation with an appearance on WNYC’s live call-in show, The Brian Lehrer Show. Link: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/2012/dec/11/radio-rookies-sickle-cell-anemia Here is just one of the responses to Bree’s story: “I can’t begin to express how happy and surprised I am to hear a WNYC program talk about sickle cell. It’s a disease that not many are familiar with. When I tell people that my brother died at the age of eighteen from sickle cell anemia/Thalassimia B the first thing they say is “but you’re not black.” We are of Mediterranean decent but this lack of understanding has been very painful to encounter and I do wish sickle cell anemia was better understood. This girl Bree is so brave, and hearing her describe her symptoms floods me with memories… like when my brother would run a bath in the middle of the night to alleviate pain. Or when his pain crisis would last upwards of three weeks. My family always felt alone, like the only people on earth going through it. Thanks Bree for sharing your story.”
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
N/A
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Keep the recorder on at all times, as Sickle Cell is a very unpredictable disease, that doesn’t care if you’re in the middle of documenting its affects. There were many moments were, Bree Person bravely pushed through pain to report this story, yet at other times she could not.