Why is treating sickle cell anemia important to you?
Well, I’m African American. Sickle cell had been under invested in. I understand that we would spend $1 [million] on a disease like cystic fibrosis, for every $1 that we would spend on sickle cell disease, despite the fact that sickle cell is three times more prevalent in this country. And I think those of us who are willing to be honest, will say it’s because sickle cell primarily affects African Americans. We were not at the seat of the table, determining what the NIH’s budget was going to be. We were not head of research and development, determining what a company would invest in sickle cell disease.
So, I came out of retirement actually, because I was offered the opportunity to become CEO and head of a company that would invest in sickle cell disease. And I’m happy to tell you, I’ve I’ve raised about $2 billion. We’re not going to stop until we’ve done for sickle cell disease what we’ve done for many, many disorders. We’re now thinking that we can give people a pretty normal life expectancy.
What would you say to little Black boys and girls about why they should love and be curious about mastering math and science?
Well, I would cite myself as an example, because there’s nothing inherently superior about me. I do think one of the things I’ve learned over the years is, the person who wins or loses is often dictated by who quits first. I would say to the young Black kids out there, number one, you [can] do anything you want to do. It may require effort, it may require seeking help, but you can do anything you want to do. Doing something that someone else wants you to do is not the pathway to happiness.
