Makenzie’s first sickle cell pain crisis came without warning. She was scared and felt alone. Not only was the pain excruciating, but her parents weren’t there—her two worst fears at once. She spent ...

When singer and actress Jordin Sparks was 16 years old, her life was changing, and not in the ordinary way it does for teenage girls. At that age, she auditioned for American Idol‘s sixth season, ...