Our Story
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
The Sickle Cell Empowerment Initiative (SCEI) was born from lived experience, a commitment to advocacy, and a belief that people affected by sickle cell disease deserve more than awareness—they deserve action.
Founded in Brooklyn in 2023 by Chanel Rice Purnell, SCEI grew from her lifelong experience living with sickle cell disease and navigating the healthcare system as a patient, advocate, and community member. Those experiences provided an intimate understanding of both the strength of the sickle cell community and the gaps that too often leave individuals and families feeling unsupported, unheard, or alone.
What began as a desire to create greater awareness has grown into a commitment to building meaningful, community-centered support.
SCEI creates spaces where individuals and families can connect, learn, be heard, and access resources that make a difference in their everyday lives. Through patient and caregiver support, education, advocacy, community engagement, direct-resource initiatives, and partnerships across healthcare and industry, we work to turn the needs and experiences of the sickle cell community into action.
As SCEI continues to grow, so does our vision for what is possible. We are building an organization where lived experience informs leadership, community voices influence change, and partnerships create greater access to resources, care, and opportunity.
Our story began with one lived experience, but it belongs to an entire community.
And we are only getting started.
