Tanzania, June 19 -- Tanga. What began as the familiar story of a worried parent seeking answers for a frequently ill child soon turned into a long and demanding health battle for Stella Nyakanga.

Her daughter, Joicy Lungu, suffered repeated bouts of illness from an early age, prompting the family to seek medical attention. When Joicy reached the age of two, tests confirmed that she had sickle cell disease, a diagnosis that would dramatically alter the family's life.

"I was shocked because none of my other children had the condition," recalls Nyakanga.

Following a referral, she was taken to Tanga Regional Referral Hospital (Bombo), where doctors explained that sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that can affect any child...