Porscha was diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) when she was 4 years old. As she got older, the pain crises caused by her disease became more frequent and difficult to recover from. “By my early 20s, it felt like my disease had taken over,” she says. “I had little hope of living a normal life.”
Porscha began receiving red blood cell exchanges every four weeks at the Adult Sickle Cell Clinic at Froedtert Hospital, the only one of its kind in Wisconsin. She continued receiving blood throughout her pregnancy with her son and also received an emergency transfusion after experiencing childbirth complications.
“I’m grateful that blood was there for me on a regular basis, and in an emergency,” she says. “I don’t think a lot of people know that some women need blood after childbirth.”
Since then, Porscha has tried different treatments to manage her SCD, once taking a break from blood transfusions. “The doctor had advised against me taking a break, but I was a little hard-headed and did it anyway,” she says. Unfortunately, that break led to a severe case of acute chest syndrome, a pneumonia-like illness that is a leading cause of hospitalization and death in SCD patients.
“The only reason my life was saved in the ICU was because of a blood transfusion,” Porscha says. “That’s the power of blood in sickle cell disease. When we have nothing else, that is what we go to.”
She is quick to point out that she, like many other SCD patients, rely on blood transfusions for everyday and long-term care. “I want people to see the reality of the situation,” she says. “It’s going to be a lifelong maintenance for me, especially as I get older. Sickle cell is a progressive disease, so this is going to be long-term. It’s not negotiable; blood is the treatment.”
Porscha has always been passionate about blood donation and shares her story with the hope that it will inspire others to donate. “Seeing the faces of people who rely on blood is important. I’m young, I want to live, and I have things worth living for,” she says. “There have been other treatments that come and go, but there’s still nothing as good as blood. The proof is in the pudding; I literally risked it all, but there’s nothing that’s going to treat or prevent severe sickle cell episodes quite like blood transfusions.”
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.
