My name is Lena Harvey, and I am the Face of Sickle Cell Indiana. I have 40 years of lived experience and specialized training to advocate for SCD patients in Indiana and across the country.

My battle cry is “Mind of a queen, heart of a warrior,” but it wasn’t always. Even though I was born with a battle in my bones, it wasn’t until adulthood that I began slashing away at my flesh to rise in the spirit like a phoenix.

I had spent nearly four decades going in and out of hospitals, having countless vials of blood drawn over the years, and it began to feel surreal. All of a sudden, I woke up one day feeling wholly dissatisfied with my life’s prognosis.

I vowed to double down on myself and never give up.

Killing my victim mindset was the turning point.

From then on, I would no longer be sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else living their best lives. I decided that if I were truly forced to live a hefty portion of my life within the walls of the hospital, then I’ll turn it into a workplace.

Today, I advocate for SCD by co-chairing the Indiana Sickle Cell Consortium’s Advocacy Committee alongside Innovative Hematology’s Lisa Hoffman and a host of entities, medical professionals, and patients from across the state. Together, we aim to keep SCD in the spotlight by hosting the annual Sickle Cell Advocacy Day at the statehouse.

I am a Certified Healthcare Navigator thanks to the revolutionary non-profit Sickle Cell Medical Advocacy, Inc., led by Simone Uwan, the ‘doctor in a patient’s body herself.’

In 2023, Queen Warrior LLC was born. After stepping out on faith, I was led to take the first steps toward true #SickleCellSuccess by breaking ground on the foundation of my very own legacy.

Thank you for being here.