Individuals who Commit for Life and donate blood help patients with Sickle Cell Anemia - patients like De Wayne.

 

Most people who see De Wayne would never suspect that he has Sickle Cell Anemia. He receives blood every three or four weeks in order to maintain his health - a need fulfilled by Commit for Life donors. The blood he receives from volunteer donors give him the energy to be "just a regular kid," says his mom, Christine.

 

About Sickle Cell Anemia

• - Sickle Cell Anemia is a serious disease in which the boyd makes abnormally shaped red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are smooth and round like a doughnut without a hole. Sickle cells are sickle (or "crescent") shaped.
• - Sickle Cells are hard, sticky and don't move easily through blood vessels. They tend to get stuck and block
• - Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherited (genetic) disorder. People who have Sickle Cell Anemia are born with it. It is a lifelong disease. Bone marrow transplants have been used successfully in some patients, but right now there is not a cure for most patients with this disease. Many of these individuals with Sickle Cell Anemia require regular blood transfusions as part of their treatment in order to live healthy, active lives.
• - In the United States, Sickle Cell Anemia affects about 72,000 people. The families of most Americans who are affected come from Africa. In the United States the disease occurs in about:
  • - One in every 400 African-American births; and
  • - One in every 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic-American births

  - People with Sickle Cell Anemia need regular medical care. The goals of treating Sickle Cell Anemia are to relive pain, prevent infections and control complication if they occur. The treatments include:

  - Medicines;

  - Blood transfusions; and

  Specific treatment for complications

  - One patient may need 15 to 25 blood transfusions each year.

  - Some, but not all, patients need transfusions to prevent life-threatening events, such as stroke or pneumonia.

   

 

To learn more or to submit your request to host a blood drive, click here or call (713) 791-6670.