Hi, my name is Destiny Beard, and pain is supposed to be temporary — something you get through and move on from.
But since I was a baby, pain has been part of my bloodstream.
Growing up with sickle cell disease meant monthly doctor’s appointments, hospital wristbands, emergency room visits, and endless medical tests becoming part of the rhythm of my life. Each ER visit brought a different crisis: sharp pain, fluid in my lungs, blood transfusions, breathing machines, and medications I did not want but needed just to get through the night.
Sickle cell interrupted many parts of my childhood. In elementary school, I was often the child who had to sit out while others ran and played. I stayed in the shade so I would not overheat. My absences were frequent, and classmates did not always understand why I was gone. Sometimes teachers treated me differently because of my condition.
Even today, sickle cell continues to affect my life. But I have never given up.
💪 Learning to See the Silent Battles
Sickle cell has brought me pain, but it has also brought awareness.
Living with a disease that is often invisible on the outside has taught me not to overlook others. I have learned that many people carry silent battles no one else can see. That understanding has shaped the way I move through the world and the way I treat people around me.
It has also pushed me into leadership. I do not only want to speak up for myself — I want to speak up for those who cannot, for those whose voices are unheard, and for those who need someone to recognize what they are going through.
🩺 Inspired to Give Back Through Medicine
Sickle cell is part of my biology, but it is also what inspired me to major in biology and pursue a future in the medical field.
Years of overnight hospital stays and complex procedures introduced me to the important role of anesthesiologist assistants. I saw how these professionals provide not only medical precision, but also compassion, calm, and reassurance during critical moments.
Becoming an anesthesiologist assistant is more than a career goal for me. It is my way of giving back. It is my way of using everything I have been through to help others get through what they are facing.
🎓 What This Scholarship Means to Me
Receiving the Warrior on the Rise Scholarship means so much because it supports my education and my dream of entering the medical field.
This scholarship is an investment in my future, but it is also encouragement to keep fighting, keep learning, and keep using my story for purpose. Pain has taught me resilience. It has taught me empathy. It has taught me how to fight — and I am not done fighting.
Sickle cell may be part of my story, but it will not stop me from becoming who I am called to be.
🌟 Help More Warrior Scholars Rise
When you support the Warrior on the Rise Scholarship Fund, you are investing in students like me — scholars impacted by sickle cell disease who are pursuing education, healing, leadership, and purpose.
Your donation helps provide encouragement, financial support, and hope to young people who are determined to turn their pain into power and their experiences into service.
Thank you for believing in me and in the future of Warrior Scholars everywhere.
— Destiny
