On Monday, October 2, emcees Devin and Jason McCourty, BMC leaders, friends, and supporters came together for a night of games and giving to advance sickle cell disease research, care, and support. Thank you to all who played a role in making this special event a success, especially event chair Bithiah Carter of New England Blacks in Philanthropy.

The event benefitted BMC’s Center of Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease and community partner Next Step as we work to improve the lives of patients with sickle cell disease. Funding for sickle cell disease remains scarce. Philanthropic support from efforts like Casino Night makes possible:

Increased clinical expertise through dedicated sickle cell disease fellowship opportunities that recruit diverse candidates and provide clinical and research training to address the national shortage of providers specializing in hematology and blood disease research.

Improved awareness and advocacy through support of education for health professionals and researchers, as well as advocacy for patients who need help securing access to emerging therapies or clinical trials.

Advanced research and sharing of findings through grant programs that bring us closer to understanding and developing cures for sickle cell disease.

BMC has long been a leader in SCD treatment and research. Just a few highlights of our program:

• Largest combined pediatric and adult SCD center in New England
• Just Say Yes Infusion Center, which allows patients to bypass lengthy ED waits to receive blood infusions, pain medication, and specialty consults for sickle cell crises
• Home to one of only three SCD fellowships in the US
• Building a first-of-its-kind sickle cell biobank to catalog primary tissues from participating patients that will further inform SCD development and emerging therapies