WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is holding its second Sickle Cell Adolescent Support Group this summer to help teenagers with the disease take an active role in managing their health.
On Tuesday, July 6, participants in the program will learn about the importance of good nutrition and physical activity for teenagers with sickle cell disease. Instructors in tai chi and yoga will give demonstrations. Tai chi is the Chinese system of exercise designed to promote meditation, self-discipline and harmony and yoga a Hindu discipline practiced to promote control of the body and mind
“The objective of this program is to begin to plant the seeds of knowledge and teach life skills that teenagers with sickle cell disease will need when they become adults,” said Stephany C. Coakley, M.Ed, a patient and family educator and social worker and coordinator of the program for Wake Forest Baptist.
The purpose of the support group is to:
• Help teenagers from age 13 to 17 develop a better understanding of their disease.
• Encourage them to take an active role in their medical management.
• Meet other teenagers with sickle cell disease who have similar issues and concerns.
The Sickle Cell Adolescent Support Group meets every Tuesday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. for eight consecutive weeks, June 1 through July 20 in the Kitty Hawk Room on the first floor of Piedmont Plaza I. Free parking is available and the teens are served a meal.
For information, call (336) 716-7045.
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Media Contacts: Jim Steele, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, at 336-716-4587.
About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,282 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.