Teara has lived with sickle cell disease her entire life. The pain, the hospital visits, the uncertainty, she carried all of it while raising her sons, building her life, and showing up for the people she loves.

This year she made a decision that most warriors never get the chance to make. She said yes to gene therapy.

The first stage of the process is stem cell collection, called apheresis. Blood is drawn out of the body, stem cells are separated, and the blood is returned. It sounds clinical. It does not feel that way.

During her collection, Teara's calcium levels crashed. She was eating Tums in the hospital chair. She needed calcium infusions. The exhaustion was the kind that is hard to put into words. A weight that goes beyond tired.

She did it anyway.

Before Teara went through collection, Damon Williams, another St. Louis warrior who completed his own collection first, warned her about what to expect. He walked it first and then walked her through it. That is what this community does.

Teara completed stem cell collection earlier this year, and her cells were sent to the laboratory for the next stage of the gene therapy process.

Before moving forward, she asked her medical team to complete additional testing so she could feel more confident about the next stage of treatment.

She remains committed to gene therapy and, if the final testing is clear, is expected to move forward with treatment this month and receive her cells before the end of August.

She is taking it one step at a time, with caution, hope, and the continued support of her community.