With help from DanceBlue, young sickle cell patient takes center stage

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2026) — At 16 years old, Precious Clark is your typical high school junior. The Lexington resident loves fashion, hanging out with her friends and singing in the school choir. She has a passion for musical theater, having recently performed in the ensemble in her school’s production of “The Addams Family.” Precious is also an avid fan of fiber arts, having mastered both knitting and crocheting.

When asked about what it’s like to live with sickle cell anemia, she just shrugs it off.

“It’s just how I live.”

A hemoglobin-related blood disorder, sickle cell anemia is part of the family of sickle cell diseases. Red blood cells which are round and flexible, flow easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell diseases, the blood cells have a rigid, sickle-like shape that don’t flow as smoothly, resulting in blocked blood flow. They also have a shorter lifespan than healthy red blood cells. Sickle cell patients can also experience periods of prolonged, debilitating pain — known as a pain crisis — that can last for days or even weeks.

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease, one that Precious’s mother, Latasha, is all too familiar with. She is a carrier for the disease, as is her mother, and her brother was diagnosed at an early age.

“My mom told me the signs to look out for, but it’s different with every child,” Latasha said.

Precious didn’t show any signs of the disease until she had a pain crisis at just 3 years old. Diagnosed with sickle cell, she also suffered a stroke and was admitted to Golisano Children’s at UK – then known as Kentucky Children’s Hospital — for weeks.

Every month since then, Precious has followed up with the staff of the Sickle Cell Clinic at the Golisano Children’s at UK DanceBlue Hematology/Oncology Clinic. Once a month, Precious receives a treatment called apheresis, in which a machine removes sickle-shaped cells and replaces them with healthy red blood cells from a blood donor. The whole process, along with pretreatment screening and testing, used to take the better part of a day, but with advancements in medical technology, Precious is in and out of the clinic in about four hours. This means Precious doesn’t miss very much school, which, as any high school student can attest to, can be a good or bad thing.

“When I have to go an extra week without the apheresis, there is a slight drop in my energy,” Precious said. The treatment keeps her energized, which is very important, considering how full her schedule is with school, choir, voice lessons, theater and time with her friends.

Thanks to Latasha’s vigilance and the expert treatment of the Sickle Cell Clinic staff, the pain episode Precious experienced at age 3 was her only one. During the more than 150 clinic visits Precious has had over the past 13 years, she’s come to consider the clinic staff her second family.

Andrea Haggard, nurse practitioner in the DanceBlue Clinic, started as one of Precious’s primary providers, but now they are close friends. Andrea came to see Precious in her school’s production of “Mean Girls,” and Precious was Andrea’s daughter’s counselor at drama camp.

Precious is looking ahead to life after high school. She’s thinking about a career in fashion, or perhaps combining it with her love of theater and doing costume design. But whether she goes to UK for college or somewhere else, she knows she always has a home at the DanceBlue Clinic.

“Everyone is so welcoming to me,” Precious said. “They treat me like family. Everyone is nice and loving and caring.”