A local business owner is continuing her mission to raise awareness of sickle cell disease, building an annual community event centered on education, support and connection.

Chozen Frozens and More owner Takeia Dixon has turned her Sickle Cell Awareness Event into a local tradition, drawing families and community members from Lake and Sumter counties.

For Takeia, the cause is personal. Her two daughters live with sickle cell disease, and their experiences inspired her to dedicate her business to raising awareness of the inherited blood disorder.

After last year’s event, Takeia reflected on what the turnout meant to her.

“We would like to thank our community for coming out and supporting us,” Takeia says. “It was a great turnout. Finding out that so many people have sickle cell really touched my heart. I feel like my mission was accomplished, and we are not alone.”

Takeia started Chozen Frozen and More as a mobile ice cream business that could give her the flexibility she needed to care for her daughters. Their health needs can include hospital stays and monthly blood transfusions, making a traditional work schedule difficult.

She has since used the business as a platform to talk about sickle cell disease and connect with other families affected by it.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in red blood cells. The disease can cause red blood cells to become rigid and sickle-shaped, potentially restricting blood flow and causing pain and other serious complications.

Takeia now hopes to take the mission beyond awareness events.

Her long-term goal is to establish a permanent space for Chozen Frozens and More that could provide employment opportunities for people living with sickle cell disease who may face challenges maintaining traditional work schedules.

“My plan in the future is to create a space and offer job opportunities at Chozen Frozens and More to Sickle Cell Warriors who may run into some hardships in life,” Takeia says.

For Takeia, each year’s gathering is another step toward building the kind of local community she wants her daughters and other families living with sickle cell disease to have.