Sickle cell trait is an inherited condition that can be tricky to understand. It is not the same as sickle cell disease, red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. In fact, sickle cell trait is not a disease at all. Rather, people with sickle cell trait are born with and carry one gene for sickle cell hemoglobin and one for regular hemoglobin. Learn about what this means for a child who has the condition.