Nathan was our 2018 winner of the Floella Benjamin award. He won because he is an inspirational boy who lives with sickle cell and is excelling in school and extra-curricular activities. At our most recent AGM we said that we would help support him in raising funds to achieve his dream of becoming a successful racing driver.

Nathan loves karting and in his 1st season he won the 2017 Cadet 2 Daytona National In-Kart championship as a rookie and the youngest ever winner.

He comes from a family of modest means who will not be able to allow him to realise his ambition to overcome the limits imposed by his medical condition sickle cell disease without outside help.

He biggest dream for Nathan is to obtain his Motor Sport Association (MSA) licence and join the British Cadet Karting Championship. Once licenced he would do 6 local rounds before living his dreams on an international racing circuit

The cost of the dream is unfathomable to parents who have sacrificed to put him through Karting and yet would do anything to see his dream come true.

Your help is needed to make the dreams of a child with a debilitating illness and immense potential be fulfilled.

About sickle cell:

Sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. People with sickle cell disorder are born with the condition as it can only be inherited from both parents each having passed on the gene for sickle cell. The main symptoms of sickle cell disorder are anaemia and episodes of severe pain. These painful episodes are referred to as Sickle Cell crisis. They are treated with strong painkillers such as morphine to control the pain. People with sickle cell are at risk of complications stroke, acute chest syndrome, blindness, bone damage and priapism (a persistent, painful erection of the penis).

Over time people with sickle cell can experience damage to organs such as the liver, kidney, lungs, heart and spleen. Death can also result from complications of the disorder. Treatment of sickle cell mostly focuses on preventing and treating complications.

The only possible cure for the disorder is bone marrow transplant but this is only possible for a limited number of affected individuals who have a suitable donor. A medicine called Hydroxyurea, can significantly reduce the number of painful crises.