Carpenter House to help men with sickle cell

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A home that will serve as a transitional residence for men with sickle cell disease has opened in Memphis.

Trevor Thompson, president of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee, told The Commercial Appeal that the Carpenter House will be among the first such residences in the country.

Officials estimate 5,000 people in the Mid-South suffer from sickle cell. St. Jude Dr. Jane Hankins, who is an expert on the genetic disease, says it changes the shape of red blood cells and prevents them from carrying enough oxygen to organs such as the lungs and kidneys.

Thompson will educate men at the home on how to manage the stress and pain affiliated with the disease.

"If you've ever had your hand slammed in a car door, it feels like that initial shock you get throughout your body but it might last for days or weeks," Thompson said.

Thompson says there isn't specific data, but a large number of people who suffer from the disease are between the ages of 18-25.

"There is not a national registry, so we can only estimate the number of individuals," Thompson said.

Justin Flowers hopes to move into the house, which was donated by Memphis residents Ken and Terrell Carpenter, with five others.

"Everyone has the same thing and everyone is feeling the same way," Flowers said of living with others who have sickle cell. "It's nice to see how everyone has their own way of dealing with it."

The home has six bedrooms, three lounging areas, a kitchen, and a room that could be used as a library and meeting space. Crews renovated it with private donations, a grant from Home Depot and about $50,000 from the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee.

"I wanted this to be a place where I would feel comfortable staying, and I think we did that," Thompson said.

He said another transition home — one for women — is in the planning stages.

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