MID-CITY : Striking a Blow Against Sickle Cell

Twenty years ago, leaders of the 1,600-member Los Angeles chapter of the National Bowling Assn. decided to turn their games into a fund-raiser to help combat a disease affecting their friends, family members and others within the African American community.

The chapter amended its constitution to commit itself to annual charity bowling tournaments, with proceeds going toward medical research and educational materials on sickle-cell anemia, a deadly inherited blood disorder. The group is once again hosting a “Strike for Sickle Cell” benefit, which began Saturday at Mid-Town Bowling Center, 4546 Venice Blvd.

“In our bowling organization, we have always had members who have had someone in the family that has suffered from sickle cell,” said Eugene Knox, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the association, founded in 1939 as the National Negro Bowling Assn.

The tournament, which will run from 1 to 6 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 25, will benefit the Sickle Cell Disease Assn. of America. A $15 entrance fee entitles bowlers to three games as they compete for prizes donated by the association and the community. With the exception of large groups, reservations are not necessary.

Lynda K. Anderson, executive director of the Sickle Cell Disease Assn. of America, believes the public needs to be educated about the gravity of the illness.

“Now that we have (AIDS and other) diseases that affect the population at large, sickle cell disease has been put back in the shadows,” she said.

Sickle cell anemia attacks the red blood cells, causing them to harden and assume a curved, sickle-like shape. These cells have a tendency to get caught around the joints, causing severe and often crippling pain. Diseased cells can also form blood clots, often leading to leg ulcers and sometimes strokes.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 419 Americans lost their lives to sickle cell anemia in 1991, the latest year for which statistics are available. Of that total, 406 were African American.

Information: (213) 939-8238.