Project background

We worked with primary school-aged children to create this powerful educational animation intended for use as a tool to teach other young people and adults alike about sickle cell anaemia and the lived experiences of being a child with the condition.

The animation offers a unique insight into a child’s day-to-day experiences of having sickle cell, shedding light on aspects of their lives that other people may have little to no knowledge of.

The film touches on multiple aspects of the condition, from an accessible explanation of how sickle cell anaemia is passed on genetically to the symptoms, the medications the children have to take every day to stay well and manage their condition, and what happens during hospital visits or periods of absence from school.

Creating the animation

The children involved in the animation were placed at the heart of the creative process, working alongside our team at CC Animation Studio, helping to influence the script, create artwork for the film and narrate the voiceover, as well as taking on starring roles as the main characters.

Our artist, Rosie, and project manager, Danielle, visited the children at their schools to run in-person creative workshops. This opportunity was so valuable to the creative process as the team were able to encourage and guide the children in a familiar and comfortable environment.

During the visit, the children used pre-prepared ‘drawing packs’ to create their artwork. They also had the opportunity to use professional equipment to record their voiceover segments. This process provided the team with beautiful artwork to use in the animation, and energetic, engaging voiceovers that felt authentic and representative of the children who had inspired the project.

Medical conditions series

This film is the third in a series of explainer animations about different medical conditions and has been a collaborative project with multiple contributors.

See also the Allergies animation and the Childhood Diabetes animation in this series.

Thank you!

Sickle Cell and Me was inspired and facilitated by the creative vision of school nurse Lisa Canade, and supported by paediatric community haemoglobinopathy nurse Emma Savie-Disu, and shared governance programme lead Nicola Ireland, with special mentions to Wormholt Park Primary School and Addison Primary School.