We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shanda Ward a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shanda, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I find purpose in my family. In 2019, I was afraid that my daughters Ahydia and Sokyra, who have Sickle cell Disease, were not going to get treatment during the COVID-19 outbreak. My husband and I have Sickle Cell trait, and I genuinely don’t want other families to be unaware, afraid, misled, or go untreated. My family and I decided to create the Eastern Shore of Maryland Sickle Cell Disease Association. I want to help educate the community, advocate for the Sickle Cell Warriors and the Caregivers, and help fill in gaps in services on the Eastern Shore. My family has gone to the hospital locally, and due to the lack of trained Sickle cell professionals, we were transferred 3 hours away to another hospital. This is happening all over the shore, I know there is a better way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
ESMSCDA shades information through health fairs throughtout the Eastern Shore (Wicomico, Dorchester, Somerset, and Worchester Counties). We host blood drives in the community, and at the University of Maryland eastern Shore, Salisbury University, Wor Wic Comminuty college, and at tidal Health hospital. Each year we host an annual Sickle Cell golf tournament in June in honor of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day. We also host a Sickle Cell Walk in September to mark Sickle Cell Awareness month. Occasionally, we meet with government representatives and government officals to advocate for different bills that concern Sickle Cell warriors and caregivers. We have recently started to celebrate our warriors with money that we applied for through “Bless our children” media campaign and “Giving Tuesday” through the the Community Foundation.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that I find that have been helpful is consulting with others that have different skill set from me. It helps me learn and also give me the opportunity to collaborate with some pretty incredible people. Another skill is listening to others and yourself. When I listen to others, I learn and when I listen to myself I grow. And lastly, I had to learn how to say Yes. I know that I can become stuck because I was afraid, but if I learn how to say Yes and “do it afraid”. I learn, I grow, and I succeed.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We are always looking for collaborators and partners. In the past we have partnered with Jon homemade soap whom created a Sickle Cell inspired soap. We have also partnered with “Get Lit” candle company as a fundraiser. We look forward to collaborations with the Night Watch child care center, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, local Fraternities and Sororities, and colleges and universities. Through these connections we get to reach different areas, regions, populations, and culture groups.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/esm-scda
- Instagram: easternshore_sicklecell
- Facebook: Eastern Shore of Maryland Sickle Cell Disease Association
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
