DOMINIQUE FRIEND Dominique Friend is an advocate for Sickle Cell Disease awareness and research who currently resides in South Central Pennsylvania, but who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Baltimore City Public Schools. She is a wife, the mother of five wonderful children and has one beautiful granddaughter. Although her illness prevented her from graduating high school, she obtained her GED and then completed post-secondary courses in Creative Writing. Now a published author, Dominique has captured the essence of her daily struggles with the unpredictability and pain of Sickle Cell Disease in her autobiography, SICKLE, A Story of Pain, Purpose and Perseverance. Dominique has become an activist who is raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease and advocating for improved treatment for people living with Sickle Cell Disease. She is the founder of the Sickle Cell Encouragement Group, a support group in her local community, and she organized the first Sickle Cell Gala in York, Pennsylvania, generating funds to assist Sickle Cell sufferers who are burdened by the expense of travel to obtain specialized medical care. Dominique is using her resources to help, encourage, motivate and bring hope to others who are challenged by a chronic illness. She was interviewed by Comcast Cable News and her awareness message has been aired repeatedly by the cable channel. Dominique has had many speaking engagements, most recently at the Florida Sickle Cell Symposium, where she spoke on developing successful advocacy strategies. She recently established the "Seed of Hope Campaign" in partnership with the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on African American Affairs and the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Pennsylvania, in an effort to make SICKLE more easily available to individuals who suffer with Sickle Cell Disease and with the purpose of expanding awareness of the disease in Pennsylvania. Upcoming events include participation in Sickle Cell Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Washington DC, a speaking engagement at Delaware University and presentations to a number of Sickle Cell support groups. Dominique can be contacted by mail via the Sickle Encouragement Group at 600 North Hartley Street, #303, York, PA 17404, or can be reached by telephone at 717.793.6294 and by email at sickle1000@yahoo.com.