Lead Poisoning and Sickle Cell Disease

Greetings, I am Paris and I have SS sickle cell disease. My mother was told I would be born with the disease before I was born. I was born in the city of Detroit, MI and I have two siblings.

Unusual cravings

At around the age of 2, I would have PICA, which is anemic cravings. During those cravings, I would eat contaminated items that had lead in them. During those times in the early 80s paint chips, pencils, paper, and crayons were some of the items I would put in my mouth. I also had cravings for sweets.

I became deathly ill. Having sickle cell disease saved my life. From age 3 to 11 I would have bi-weekly painful chelation for lead poisoning, a dangerous and sometimes deadly environmental poison. The other weeks I would be treated for SS sickle cell crisis. It was an extremely painful time in my growing years.