African American Blood Drive for Sickle Cell Disease Awareness

Although people with sickle cell anemia are always in need of blood donations, we focus on awareness each February – "African American (Black) History Month" and September – "Sickle Cell Month"

Most Blood Donor Centers are by appointment so, please contact them by phone and set up yours. Also, ask them if you can get names and phone numbers of people from your church, job, neighborhood, etc. on a commitment sign up sheet, can you fax the sign up sheet(s) directly to them and if they will call the donors and set up their appointments.

As African Americans, we need African American blood because it is the best match for these patients. If the blood is not a very close match, the patient may reject the transfusion and it could be fatal. Presently, only 5% of African Americans donate blood and it is just not enough. People with the sickle cell trait can not help a person with sickle cell disease, but we can help someone else!

Most children with sickle cell disease will need at least one blood transfusion before the age of 11. For most surgeries (major or minor), a transfusion is necessary and more often today children, teens and adults are receiving a blood transfusion every two to four weeks.

For more information or other ways you can assist, call:

Your Local:  Children’s Hospital Sickle Cell Clinic or Sickle Cell Foundation

web: http://www.givelife.org/

Blood Donation Web Links

Sickle Cell Information - Why give Blood at Please Give Blood. org http://www.pleasegiveblood.org/sickle.htm

American National Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C.
www.redcross.org

http://www.givelife.org/

Giving Blood or Giving Bone Marrow

American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) at http://www.aabb.org/
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) at http://WWW.Marrow.org/

The International Red Cross Movement

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at http://www.icrc.org/
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at http://www.ifrc.org/

Sickle Cell Information Center Web Links

1. Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Resources
2. Stroke Prevention and Trans Cranial Doppler -TCD Screening
3. TCD Patient Information for handouts
4. Chelation Therapy for Iron Overload
5. Visit our Chelation Conference
6. Chelation Education Coloring book
7. How to do Chelation Therapy
8. STARS Clinic for stroke prevention