Jamaica marks World Sickle Cell Day as IC probes Wheatley wealth and swimmers eye Goodwill qualifying

Jamaica joined global observances on June 19 for World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, with advocates using the theme Closing the Survival Gap to press for fair care, stronger support, and wider public understanding of the genetic blood disorder.

Camille Daley, co-founder and president of the Sickle Cell Support Foundation of Jamaica, told CVM Sunrise that sickle cell disease affects how red blood cells carry oxygen, causing cells to stiffen and block small vessels. That process can trigger painful crises, fatigue, greater infection risk, hip damage, leg ulcers, and vision problems. Father and patient advocate Ryan Waite, who lives with the SC form of the illness, described repeated laser treatments and retina surgery after bleeding in his eyes threatened permanent blindness. He said cold conditions, long periods on his feet, hydration, and pain management shape his daily routine, with support from his wife Annique Brown-Wright.

Daley said roughly 10 per cent of Jamaicans carry the sickle cell trait, about 5 per cent carry other abnormal haemoglobin traits, and around 15 per cent of the population could have a child with a form of the disease. She said about one in every 150 babies born locally has sickle cell disease, and universal newborn screening has operated since about 2015. Anyone unsure of their status can take a sickle cell electrophoresis blood test. Couples who both carry the trait face a 25 per cent chance per pregnancy of having an affected child. The Ministry of Health provides hydroxyurea at no cost through trained public-health outlets. The foundation is also urging blood donations for member Mishka Hamilton ahead of scheduled hip-replacement surgery.

In political news, Morning News reported that the Integrity Commission could not fully explain a sharp rise in Dr. Andrew Wheatley’s declared net worth around 2011, including property linked to East Kirkland. Wheatley, MP for St. Catherine South Central and a reappointed cabinet minister after the JLP’s September 2025 election win, previously resigned in 2018 amid the Petrojam scandal. The commission noted he filed only two statutory declarations between 2003 and 2011 despite requirements to submit them annually.

On sport, more than 300 swimmers are expected at the fourth Swimmers Aquatic Long Course Championship on Saturday, June 20, at the National Aquatic Centre. Organisers say the meet will also serve as the final qualifying event for the Goodwill Games in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ahead of Father’s Day, the Eternal Father Awards honoured Carlton Stewart as Jamaican Father of the Year 2025, while agricultural advocate Jamar Holland received an honorary Marcus Garvey community leadership award. Weekend listings included family events in St. Ann, Westmoreland, and Kingston, plus a car-and-sports Father’s Day gathering at Park Boulevard from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.