Ruben Studdard's affirmation that he was the right spokespersonchoice for the BeSickle Smart program came quickly and matter-of-factly. When attending hisfirst promotional event for the campaign this past June, he met a child whodrew an image that he can't get out of his head.
At each stop, Ruben has a private room to meet with attendants diagnosed with the disorder than affects 70,000 people. They are asked to drawpictures that describe how the disease makes them feel. The first person Rubenmet was a young boy who drew a photo of himself in a jail cell.
"That touched me a lot," Ruben explained via phone from his Birmingham recordingstudio. "He couldn't have been more than 8 or 9, and for him to feel like--forthe rest of his life--he is in prison because he has Sickle Cell Disease reallyaffected me, and I never forgot that. He's pretty much inspired me."
Hear Ruben's Sickle Cell benefit song "I Am A Fighter"
The season 2 American Idol winner is on a Be Sickle Smartpromotional tour
Read More »from Ruben Studdard: ‘A Fighter’ For Sickle Cell Disease, Records Song
