When Alexander, 14, is not receiving treatment for sickle cell disease at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, he can be found playing video games or baseball. Our caregivers at the Broward Health Medical Center are passionate about providing Alexander and children like him with high-quality care so they can focus on being kids.

“Whether he is well or sick, the doctors all work together,” said Alexander’s mother, Pamela McAden.

Part of our medical team’s care for patients with sickle cell anemia often includes conducting an annual sickle cell stroke screening. It is performed using a transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) to measure the speed of blood flowing through the vessels in the brain. This helps to see if a child with certain types of sickle cell anemia may be at risk of a stroke.

Alexander’s mother is grateful for the annual exam. “Sickle cell is a disease in which you can have a range of things that can happen,” she said.