In my essay “Friend or Foe: Hydroxyurea and Sickle Cell Anemia,” I explore the intricacies of the treatment Hydroxyurea’s effect on sickle cell anemia, touching upon the evolutionary advantages of the disease, how HeLa cells helped develop the treatment, and how past medical abuse may affect perceptions about Hydroxyurea.

The title implies that the paper is about Hydroxyurea and sickle cell anemia, discussing the pros and cons of the treatment on the disease, whether it is a “friend” or “foe.” The paper is structured as starting with a scenario, defining sickle cell anemia, the evolutionary explanation of the disease, a treatment for the disease, origin of treatment involving HeLa cells, side effects of treatment, addressing concerns, and finally a conclusion. The essay format is very structured and chronological, helping understanding. Citing sources implies that the information I am sharing is reputable, trustworthy, and is fact. It conveys that I am not just making arbitrary claims.

I included 2 images in the paper (excluding the cover page). The first image explains how the disease is inherited, depicting how each parent gives a mutated copy of the hemoglobin of the gene to give their child sickle cell anemia. The second image serves to show the effectiveness of the treatment Hydroxyurea. It depicts a before and after image, so that the readers can see the difference that the treatment makes. The images provide another explanation of the information written, making comprehension easier and allowing the audience to better understand concepts.

Despite my attempts to keep things simple and explain most unknown terms, the audience may find the words hemoglobin, parasitic, longevity, antimetabolite, predominantly, and caveats, to name a few. Some linguistic ideologies that the audience may hold is that science always uses long and overcomplicated words to confuse people and alienate the non-STEM and/or uneducated population. I don’t employ the use of any informal terms, slang, or colloquial phrases. I strived to use language that was academic but still understandable.

In order to add relatability, I included a narrative scene in the introduction. I wrote out an imaginary scenario to help the audience visualize what it could be like living with sickle cell anemia, describing normal things that everyone does but through the lens of an anemic individual dealing with symptoms. The purpose of this was to have the audience sympathize with those affected by the disease, strengthening the importance of Hydroxyurea, despite its drawbacks.

Towards the end of the essay, I address memories of structural racism by discussing the story of Henrietta Lacks, how her cells were stolen from her and how the world continues to benefit at the expense of her and her family. In emphasizing the ethical concerns with HeLa cells, I am able to address the structural racism and overall distrust of the medical field which contributes to apprehensions about the treatment Hydroxyurea. 

If I were presenting this information to second language learners, I would simplify the language I use and be more precise for easier comprehension. I would also include more images and perhaps a video to help better define concepts through visualization. It might help to use a different medium, such as conveying all of the information in a video format, as intaking visual and auditory stimuli may make it easier to understand compared to written.