By Javacia Harris Bowser | For the Birmingham Times
Perhaps Sophia Leverson was destined to work in sickle cell disease (SCD) care.
“I don’t really remember a time in my life when sickle cell wasn’t part of it,” she said.
Leverson and her family are originally from Guyana, a country on the northeastern coast of South America, where her father was a physician.
“[SCD] is very common across the entire African diaspora,” Leverson said. “Some of the earliest patients I remember interacting with as a little kid running around my parents’ clinic were sickle cell patients,” said Leverson, whose family moved to Alabama in 2004 and settled in Jackson, a small town in Clark County.
Leverson attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she studied biology and public health and chose to focus her research papers on SCD whenever she could.
Today, Leverson, 31, serves as executive director of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama, which serves 13 Central and Eastern Alabama counties, and she is on a mission to revamp and reenergize the organization with new programming and events.
“I would like to see our organization become more conscious of the holistic care of a sickle cell client,” said Leverson.
When Leverson became executive director in 2023, much of the work of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama had been put on hold.
“We had what I refer to as the perfect storm of retirements, resignations, and deaths, which took us from an organization of five all the way down to zero,” she explained.
“Fortunately, one of the people who retired came back as a contract worker and the board president at the time stepped in to serve as acting executive director. They kept the organization alive.”
“A Deep Passion”
One of Leverson’s mentors encouraged her to apply for the executive director position. Though she hadn’t been affiliated with the organization before, Leverson’s education, her experience working at the Jefferson County Department of Health, and her passion for SCD made her a strong candidate.
Once Leverson was hired, it was time for the rebuild to begin.
“I knew what I was getting into was a full rebuild of this organization, and at no point did I delude myself into thinking that would be an easy process, however I have a deep passion for this community,” she said.
But Leverson didn’t set out to do the work alone. She hired a staff of people dedicated to finding solutions for those living with SCD and building upon the legacy of the organization’s first executive director Sharon B. Lewis.
Through the changes, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama’s annual walk continued and last week marked the 27th Annual Magic City Sickle Cell Walk, which took place on June 14, 2025, at Railroad Park.
During the transition the association also ensured that clients with transportation needs got to their appointments and that clients who needed financial help got assistance with rent and utilities. But the organization didn’t have the capacity to maintain the programming it had offered in the past.
When Leverson came on board in November 2023, she was determined to change that.
“One of the things I’m very passionate about is making sure our rural communities are not left out of the conversation,” said Leverson, who’s lived in Alabama since she was about 10 years old.
“I grew up in [Clark County], so I’m very conscientious of the challenges that are faced in rural Alabama,” she added.
For example, while the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama relies on public transit and Uber to get Birmingham-area patients to their appointments, that won’t work for clients in rural communities.
“Uber doesn’t go out to Randolph County,” she said. “So, we’ve got to be flexible with how we cater to rural communities.”
Leverson plans to host events outside of the Greater Birmingham area, as well, with a Sickle Cell Red Party for Talladega, Alabama, that’s already in the works.
Bearing Fruit
Some of Leverson’s other programs are bearing fruit. In April, she started an urban gardening program that offers free fruits and vegetables to those living with SCD.
“One of the biggest things people with sickle cell need to consider is their nutrition,” Leverson explained. “But a lot of our clients live in poverty, or they live in food deserts, and that can make it extremely difficult to access healthy fruits and vegetables.”
An avid gardener herself, Leverson decided to use her green thumb to better help the people her organization serves.
“I’ve had a garden of my own since 2019, and I follow an as-organic-as-possible methodology,” she said. “So, I decided to take those skills and use them to benefit our clients.”
The garden, which is on the grounds of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama’s offices, located at 3813 Avenue I in Birmingham, boasts plenty of variety. Leverson proudly rattled off the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are ready for harvest: “We have zucchini, squash, basil, tomatoes, strawberries, some sweet peppers, some jalapenos, green onions, sage, rosemary.”
“Oh my gosh, and we have our first blueberries!” Leverson added, excited about seeing the literal fruits of her labor in bloom.
In August, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama will launch an arts therapy program through which Leverson will invite local artists to lead classes for sickle cell patients. Ashley M. Jones, Alabama’s first Black and youngest poet laureate, has signed on to teach a lesson on writing poetry. Leverson has also recruited a dancer to lead a class on movement and a visual artist who will guide participants in a group art project that will be displayed at the organization’s upcoming open house event, currently set for September 9, 2025.
It was at the 2024 open house event when Leverson began to feel confident that she had the organization headed in the right direction. About 60 people showed up for a day of children’s activities, music, free food, and fun.
“I just felt like it was all coming together because people who had not been to the building in years felt welcome here,” Leverson said. “But more importantly, our clients told me how wonderful it was and asked when the next one was going to be.”
“Elevating the Cause”
In 1976, the Central Alabama Chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America began as a grassroots effort by concerned community members. Their mission was to increase awareness of SCD, advocate for routine sickle cell testing by physicians, and make sure individuals living with the condition received proper care.
In 1978, the group received a federal grant to launch the Jefferson County Sickle Cell Program, which offered free services, such as education, testing, counseling, and referrals. Over time, the initiative expanded into the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama, extending its reach to serve multiple counties, including Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, and Walker.
Throughout the years, the organization has offered a wide range of support services — from counseling and mentoring programs to transportation assistance, financial aid, and summer camps for children with SCD.
As for the future of the organization, Leverson said, “My hope is that our clients feel taken care of in a holistic way, feel that we show up for them, feel that we represent them well and advocate for their cause well.”
“And more than anything I want them to become part of that voice,” she added. “It is not my job to speak for the clients. My job is to elevate the cause, create a platform, and then hand them the mic.”
Learn more about Sickle Cell Disease Association of America–Central Alabama at sicklecellbham.org.
