Hellen Adhiambo is an early-childhood educator living in western Kenya’s Siaya County. She is also the executive director of Lending Hands Initiative, a patient-led organization that supports children living with sickle cell disease and their caregivers through awareness, psychosocial support, and improved access to care.

Drawing from her lived experience with sickle cell disease, Adhiambo leads community-driven initiatives across Siaya County, including caregiver education on home-based management, targeted awareness for adolescents and young people in and out of school, amplifying caregiver voices through a growing support network, and coordinating timely access to blood for children needing transfusions. Adhiambo also mobilizes resources to support families with hydroxyurea and uses storytelling to elevate patient and caregiver experiences.

“I’m committed,” she said, “to advancing patient-led solutions, strengthening community health systems, and ensuring that no child with sickle cell disease is left behind.”