IRMO, S.C. - March 24, 2021 - Author Jarneec Halsey's brother was one of hundreds of thousands of African and Hispanic Americans living with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease (SCD). Today, between 70,000 and 100,000 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the common blood disorder.*

When the disease claimed her brother's life, Halsey wanted to make sure his death wasn't in vain. So she decided to write a children's book to raise awareness about SCD, also known as sickle cell anemia.

Her new children's book, "Peto, the boy with the C-shaped blood," is about a boy's experience with SCD, a disease named for its defining characteristic: the way it causes red blood cells to take on the shape of the letter c.

Peto's story was written to bring hope to anyone whose life has been touched by sickle cell disease and to all readers who have ever faced a difficult challenge. Halsey's goal was to send a message loud and clear that struggling people are not alone.

"Sickle cell is often misunderstood," she said. "The more people become aware of it, the better equipped we can be to effectively fight it. 'Peto' promotes conversations about SCD, raising awareness for families battling the disease and inspiring communities together to make a difference."

Now, through her new social enterprise Peto's Journey LLC, she is purchasing 200 books to give to hospitals. Along with this, she is inviting the broader community to join in by purchasing and donating books on behalf of their local hospitals, with a goal to donate a total of 1,000 books to help raise awareness about the condition.

With the "Peto's Journey Across America" campaign, her goal is to rally enough purchased donations in time for Juneteenth on June 19. That day, Halsey will present all the hospitals touched by Peto's story through the donations they received as a way to let donors know the impact of their gift. The date is Sickle Cell Awareness Day as well as being a day of celebration recognizing African American independence.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the effort to purchase and donate copies of "Peto, the boy with the C-shaped blood" to children's hospitals and clinics can donate at https://www.petosjourney.com/donate.

Learn more about Peto's Journey at https://www.petosjourney.com. Follow the project on Instagram at @petosjourney and on Facebook at Peto's Journey.

*SOURCE: https://www.hematology.org/education/patients/anemia/sickle-cell-disease

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Jarneec Halsey