Sickle cell disease is as paradoxical as it is painful. Aff ecting millions of people worldwide, with an incidence as high as 20 per 1,000 births in parts of Africa, it is the most common single gene disorder in African Americans, yet still qualifi es as relatively rare. Although it is a major health concern in Canada, it is nevertheless often misdiagnosed and misunderstood in Canada. The disease is an inherited blood disorder caused