Inspired by Sister’s Fight, Worcester Native Raises Critical Awareness and Funds for UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center

In 2023, Kweku Akese was a senior at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, thinking about college and making his mark in the world. Inspired by his passion for biochemistry and a personal connection to sickle cell disease—a disorder that alters the shape of red blood cells and blocks blood flow, leading to intense pain, organ damage, and other serious complications—Kweku wanted to make a difference in the lives of youth affected by this condition.

Kweku learned about “vein finders,” medical devices that use near-infrared light reflection to create a map of the veins and allow healthcare providers to more easily—and on the first try—find a patient’s vein for a needle stick. This was especially important to Kweku because he had often witnessed his younger sister, who is living with sickle cell anemia, struggle with pain during the frequent blood testing she underwent to manage her condition.

Kweku’s sister was being treated at the UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center (CMC), and so after a successful crowdfunding campaign, he raised more than $3,500 to purchase an additional vein finder device for the CMC. Two years later, the vein finder has made an impactful difference in the lives of patients like Kweku’s sister.

Kweku, who is now a student at Princeton University studying Medical Anthropology and planning to apply to medical school, is just as dedicated as ever and has joined our cycling team for the annual Rodman Ride to support the CMC.

“It may be less talked about than other disorders, but patients faced with sickle cell disease deserve the same amounts of visibility and support,” says Kweku. “The Community Fundraising Program at UMass Memorial Health made it possible for me to help make treatment a little easier for people like my sister.”

Learn how you can make a difference, like Kweku, through creative community fundraising.

Watch Kweku share his story on Boston 25 News.