Marqus Valentine first shared his story with ABC7 in 2019. He was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when he was six months old.
“So, something that Marqus and I did together was start to educate and encourage other sickle cell patients to tell their stories,” said Marqus’ sister and co-founder of SickCells.org, Ashley Valentine.
Sadly, Marqus lost his battle in June of 2020 at just 36-years-old, but that isn’t stopping the work and the mission to keep his memory alive.
“He kept these journals, and in a way, almost like a guide for what to do when he passes. And he wrote one of the journals that hope was probably the most powerful thing you’ve ever experienced because up until the day he died, there was nothing to help people with sickle cell and now we got a hand in making sure there’s things available to help people with sickle cell,” Ashley said.
Leave a Reply