A Sickle Cell Anemia mural unveiling took place at the Spring Hill BBQ & Soul Food Lounge at 905 S. Adelle Ave. on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The mural, paid for with a Sickle Cell education grant, aims to raise awareness about sickle cell disease, a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States, the majority of whom are Black. An additional 2 million people are estimated to carry at least one of the genetic traits.
Spring Hill Resource Center Director Shilretha Dixon, Volusia County Council Member Barb Girtman and community leader Brenda Cusack were on hand for the unveiling.
Cusack has long been a champion of sickle cell awareness – her only child, Charles Allen Cusack III, died in 2017 at age 39 of complications caused by sickle cell anemia. He is depicted in the mural.
The mural was painted by artists Oscar Williams, Courtney Canova, and Jaryd Johnson.
