Thank you for joining us for today's Spotlight, I'm Joshua Leo. And I'm Liz Waid.

Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.

It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

When you look for a person to marry, what qualities do you look for? Do you want that person to be good looking? Or do you want a person who is intelligent? Or funny? Would you ever ask that person about their blood?

Would you ask if they know what genes their parents passed to them?

Della Seneadza is from Ghana. When he thinks about beginning a relationship, these are the first things he wants to know! You see, Della has a blood disorder. It is called Sickle Cell Anemia.

And he wants to protect his future children from the disease. Today's Spotlight is on Sickle Cell Anemia.

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that causes great pain. It can also cause breathing problems. And it may turn a person's skin yellow. In rare cases, it can lead to death.

Sickle Cell Anemia affects a protein in the red blood cells. This protein is called haemoglobin.

A person with Sickle Cell Anemia has bad haemoglobin. This causes the red blood cells to change shape. They become thin and curved instead of round. They become hard instead of soft. They become firm instead of bendable.