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Autumn Skye Collins is a 12 year-old native of Nashville, Tennessee.
Autumn was born on December 3, 2010 to parents Briana Cooper and Alonzo Collins. Autumn enjoys singing, dancing, creating YouTube videos and playing with her yorkies, "Little T" and "Lola" (Rest In Peace).
On the day Autumn was born, the doctors brought news that no one could’ve ever have imagined. Her parents were told that their then, only child has a blood disease. Autumn Skye was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia SS.
Neither parent knew much about the disease but both parents were carrying a Sickle Cell trait with no complications their entire lives.
Her mother took immediate action.Researching. Asking Questions. Trying to find a way to cure her daughter, Autumn Skye.
In March of 2016, Autumn Skye’s mother decided to start a foundation honoring not only her daughter but in an effort to honor everyone affected by this blood disease and to bring awareness to people all over the world!
Autumn Skye knows she is a “Special” child.
Her doctor’s visits are 3 times more frequent than a healthy 10 year-old and over night stays are quite the norm.
As of the Summer of 2021, Autumn Skye has received 4 blood transfusions to help her live and play with little to no restrictions!
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Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly hemoglobin S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels.
It is most common in West and Central Africa where as many as 25% of the people have sickle cell trait and 1-2% of all babies are born with a form of the disease. In the United States with an estimated population of over 270 million, about 1,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease each year.
As recently as the 1960's, sickle cell disease was considered an issue of childhood care, since relatively few patients survived very far into adulthood. No universal cure for the disorder has been developed. However, improvements in general medical care and the development of palliative treatments have extended life expectancy well into adulthood.
Persons with sickle cell trait have been shown to be more vulnerable than those without trait to heat stroke and muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) when subjected to strenuous forced exercise in military training under unfavorable environmental conditions.
The SCDAA supports the implementation of universal, safe training guidelines for all athletes, and to rigorously educate and improve the capacity of athletic coaches and trainers to recognize signs and symptoms of heat related illness and to provide medical care to athletes who become ill or injured under their supervision.
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