Seahawks' Engram helps daughter fight disease
SEATTLE -- The Seahawks still have a week to go until their season opener, but one player is already making a play in a personal battle.
Wide receiver Bobby Engram organized a walk around Seward Park on Sunday to raise awareness and money to help fight sickle cell disease.
Engram knows all too well just how painful the inherited blood disease can be. His daughter, who is also named Bobby Ingram, was born with it.
"It just feels like full-on cramps, it hurts so bad," said little Bobby. "Usually the most places you have it are in your thighs, your legs, your arms and sometimes in your shoulders."
Engram and his wife didn't even know they carried the sickle cell trait until the day little Bobby was born.
"It's something that's near and dear to my heart with my daughter having sickle cell disease, and it's something that I think needs to be done to raise awareness," he said.
For Engram, organizing the fundraiser is a way to get people talking about the blood disorder. Sickle cell disease affects some 72,000 people in the U.S. each year, most of whom are African-American.
"We need to start getting trait-tested, have every African-American, if you don't know, get trait-tested to see if you have the trait," Engram said. "The only way you can have a child with sickle cell is if your significant other (also) has the trait."
And people seem to be getting the message. Hundreds came out to support the cause, making this year's walk bigger than last year's. A bigger walk means more money for local hospitals searching for a cure.
Engram's walk raised more than $20,000 for the fight against sickle cell disease.
The successful walk was a dream come true for Gertrude Dawson, one of the first nurses in Seattle to advocate testing.
"It makes me feel awfully good that I've done something that's going to keep going," she said. "We have plenty here to carry on, if we can keep 'em healthy, we got it made."
The support of those gathered also filled little Bobby with hope.
"And before you know it, sickle cell will be nothing but a memory," she said.
Wide receiver Bobby Engram organized a walk around Seward Park on Sunday to raise awareness and money to help fight sickle cell disease.
Engram knows all too well just how painful the inherited blood disease can be. His daughter, who is also named Bobby Ingram, was born with it.
"It just feels like full-on cramps, it hurts so bad," said little Bobby. "Usually the most places you have it are in your thighs, your legs, your arms and sometimes in your shoulders."
Engram and his wife didn't even know they carried the sickle cell trait until the day little Bobby was born.
"It's something that's near and dear to my heart with my daughter having sickle cell disease, and it's something that I think needs to be done to raise awareness," he said.
For Engram, organizing the fundraiser is a way to get people talking about the blood disorder. Sickle cell disease affects some 72,000 people in the U.S. each year, most of whom are African-American.
"We need to start getting trait-tested, have every African-American, if you don't know, get trait-tested to see if you have the trait," Engram said. "The only way you can have a child with sickle cell is if your significant other (also) has the trait."
And people seem to be getting the message. Hundreds came out to support the cause, making this year's walk bigger than last year's. A bigger walk means more money for local hospitals searching for a cure.
Engram's walk raised more than $20,000 for the fight against sickle cell disease.
The successful walk was a dream come true for Gertrude Dawson, one of the first nurses in Seattle to advocate testing.
"It makes me feel awfully good that I've done something that's going to keep going," she said. "We have plenty here to carry on, if we can keep 'em healthy, we got it made."
The support of those gathered also filled little Bobby with hope.
"And before you know it, sickle cell will be nothing but a memory," she said.
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