Music exec out to raise awareness

BLACK TO LIFE … FOR A HEALTHIER YOU

J.R. Perry has been in Las Vegas for three years, making a name for himself as CEO of Pro-Per Records. However, his biggest contribution to the world may not come out of a recording studio: Perry is on a crusade to raise more public awareness of sickle cell disease — also known as sickle cell anemia — through his organization, Cure Every Cell. “September is Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month, and in Las Vegas it seems to be off the radar,” said Perry, who is himself a genetic carrier of the sickle cell anemia trait. “There is no actual organization here for sickle cell, like in every other (major) city. So I established our support group to fill the void.” His motivation for this work is deeply personal: His own 11-year-old son suffers from the disease. “Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder and is the oldest blood disorder on the planet,” Perry explained. “In order for a child to be born with sickle cell, both of his biological parents must have the trait. Many think that it originated a hundred years ago, but recently, a German scientist exhumed the body of King Tut to find out why he died — and discovered that he died from sickle cell anemia. It is the oldest disease with the least attention.” Perry is quick to dispel the belief that sickle cell anemia is only found in black people. The disease “goes back to 13 B.C. and is found in people of African descent,” he said. “It is derived from J.R. Perry’s motivation comes from the fact that his son suffers from sickle cell disease. areas of the world that are plagued by malaria. As a result of the body fighting against malaria, sickle cell anemia developed. Therefore, people from Africa, Asia, Southern India and Sicily (can) have sickle cell.” In light of this knowledge, and hoping that a cure is not far off, Perry encourages everyone to be tested for the sickle cell trait, which afflicts an estimated 200 million people worldwide.