Sickle cell disease has been part of Breanna’s life since the day she was born. She spent her childhood in and out of the hospital, receiving medications and blood transfusions to help ease her symptoms, including severe pain in her knee.
But it wasn’t until June 2022 that Breanna had a real scare. After seeing a doctor for the pain in her knee, she wound up in the hospital, where she had a heart attack and stroke and was in a coma. “All I remember is that when I woke up, I couldn’t get up and I couldn’t write,” she says. “I don’t remember a lot of it.”
Now, she receives red blood cell exchanges every 6-8 weeks that help with her sickle cell disease, but also leave her feeling exhausted. She encourages others to donate blood and give hope to sickle cell patients like her. “It helps others, especially sickle cell patients,” she says. “If we don’t get blood, something bad could happen. Donating blood is doing something good for others.”
Your Blood Can Help Someone Thrive
For many people living with sickle cell disease, donated blood is more than a treatment. It can mean more time at home with family, more days at school or work, and more opportunities to enjoy the moments that make life meaningful.
People with sickle cell disease need blood transfusions throughout their lives. Closely matched blood can help make those transfusions safer and more effective. That is why donors from every background are needed, and why African American donors can play an especially meaningful role. Certain blood characteristics that can be important for people with sickle cell disease are more commonly found in donors with shared ancestry.
When you donate blood with Versiti, your gift may directly support someone living with sickle cell disease or another patient who depends on donated blood. You become part of a community of care helping people feel stronger, stay healthier and live fuller lives.
Schedule an appointment today. Your blood could be the match someone has been waiting for.
