Chasing the Crescent Moon: The Story of Dr. Frempong and Sickle Cell Disease
From: Aaron Schwartz
Length: 00:59:00
A genetic disease mostly affecting those of African descent, sickle cell produces debilitating pain and a life sometimes cut short, especially for the undiagnosed. And as a burden largely borne by the underprivileged, sickle cell is not just a medical problem, but a social one. Chasing the Crescent Moon explores the challenges posed by sickle cell through the story of one physician and the lives he has touched. Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong grew from a child of Ghanaian cocoa farmers to become a Yale scholar, an Olympic athlete, and one of the most important international warriors against sickle cell. He also bore a son who suffers from the disease. In his greatest accomplishment, Dr. Frempong established the only city-wide newborn screening for sickle cell in all of West Africa, where 1 in 50 babies suffers from the illness. The documentary relates Dr. Frempong's remarkable journey as well as the dramatic stories of his coworkers, staff, patients and their families. Set in Ghana and Philadelphia, the documentary travels from the high tech Comprehensive Sickle Cell Clinic that Dr. Frempong heads at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to his overcrowded Ghanaian clinic. The stories educate, advocate and entrance, conveying the unusual medical and social burdens faced by those fighting sickle cell. Available free to all stations. The program includes two 59-second breaks (with music beds) at 22:56 and 40:49.
Piece Description
A genetic disease mostly affecting those of African descent, sickle cell produces debilitating pain and a life sometimes cut short, especially for the undiagnosed. And as a burden largely borne by the underprivileged, sickle cell is not just a medical problem, but a social one. Chasing the Crescent Moon explores the challenges posed by sickle cell through the story of one physician and the lives he has touched. Dr. Kwaku Ohene-Frempong grew from a child of Ghanaian cocoa farmers to become a Yale scholar, an Olympic athlete, and one of the most important international warriors against sickle cell. He also bore a son who suffers from the disease. In his greatest accomplishment, Dr. Frempong established the only city-wide newborn screening for sickle cell in all of West Africa, where 1 in 50 babies suffers from the illness. The documentary relates Dr. Frempong's remarkable journey as well as the dramatic stories of his coworkers, staff, patients and their families. Set in Ghana and Philadelphia, the documentary travels from the high tech Comprehensive Sickle Cell Clinic that Dr. Frempong heads at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to his overcrowded Ghanaian clinic. The stories educate, advocate and entrance, conveying the unusual medical and social burdens faced by those fighting sickle cell. Available free to all stations. The program includes two 59-second breaks (with music beds) at 22:56 and 40:49.
Broadcast History
An evergreen piece. First aired 8/08. The largest stations that carried it are Chicago Public Radio, WGBH Boston, and WCPN Cleveland.
Timing and Cues
Two 59-second breaks (with music beds) beginning at 22:56 and 40:49.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ama Bonsu | Ramblers Dance Band | The Hit Sound of the Ramblers Dance Band. | Flame Tree | 2000 | 00:20 |
| Ima Abasi | Ramblers Dance Band | The Hit Sound of the Ramblers Dance Band. | Flame Tree | 2000 | 01:07 |
| Remember Me As a Time of Day | Explosions in the Sky | How Strange, Innocence. | Temporary Residence | 2005 | 01:40 |
| Meni Nda Obiara | Ramblers Dance Band | The Hit Sound of the Ramblers Dance Band. | Flame Tree | 2000 | 00:30 |
| Glittering Blackness | Explosions in the Sky | How Strange, Innocence. | Temporary Residence | 2005 | 00:25 |
| Motherless Bastard | The Books | Thought for Food. | Tomlab | 2002 | 01:15 |
| Red Moon | Jami Sieber | Hidden Sky. | Magnatune | 2004 | 01:00 |
| Meni Nda Obiara | Ramblers Dance Band | The Hit Sound of the Ramblers Dance Band. | Flame Tree | 2000 | 00:13 |
| Soyama | Ramblers Dance Band | The Hit Sound of the Ramblers Dance Band. | Flame Tree | 2000 | 01:11 |
| Damn Right I am Somebody, pt. 1 | The J.B.'s | Pass The Peas: The Best Of The J.B.'s. | Polydor / Umgd | 2000 | 00:34 |
Additional Files
- Logo without fill (crescent_logo_without_fill.jpg)
- Sol. educates clinic families (aaron_ghana_photos_436.jpg)
- Nurses search to give results (aaron_ghana_photos_490.jpg)
- Baby being screened in Ghana (aaron_ghana_photos_029.jpg)
- scd patient w/ leg ulcers (aaron_ghana_photos_039.jpg)
- Logo with fill (crescent_filled_in_logo.jpg)
- Banner logo (crescent_banner.jpg)
- Komfo Anokye hosptl record rm (aaron_ghana_photos_431.jpg)
- blood samples being tested (aaron_ghana_photos_331.jpg)




