Story told by Cheary Shelim, Red Cross Volunteer

In 2014, Brenda Green was with her son Braden at a baseball game. As she watched him, she grew worried. Braden has sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that causes his red blood cells to become hard and crescent-shaped. This makes it difficult for oxygen to be carried throughout the body. It also causes pain, anemia, and organ damage.

“I looked at him and I could tell he wasn’t feeling well,” she recalls. “But he was with his friends, and he was like, ‘I’m fine.’”

At 2 AM that morning, Braden started screaming. He had severe pain in his chest. “We took him to the ER. They got him stable, but I knew something was wrong. In 48 hours, my baby was in the PICU, fighting for his life.”

Braden was diagnosed with acute chest syndrome – a severe, life-threatening complication of sickle cell disease. One of the most important treatments that Braden needed was a blood transfusion. “I remember sitting there, praying,” Brenda remembers. “God, please don’t let this take my baby’s life.”

As she watched the blood of a stranger give her son another chance at life, she had a turning point. She promised herself that she would become a regular donor. And she would do whatever she could to encourage people to donate.

She has kept that promise. In 2017, Brenda founded The B Strong Group, an organization whose mission is to spread awareness about the importance of blood donations.

“We encourage people to become regular blood donors,” Brenda states. “They can join our team, B strong, or what we call, ‘Braden’s Buddies.’ Even if you don’t donate at our blood drive – wherever you are, using your Red Cross donor app, you can help build a stronger team of donors.”

Although sickle cell disease can affect any race or ethnicity, it is most common in African Americans. Fortunately, one in 3 African American blood donors is a match for people with sickle cell disease.

“Our babies need our blood,” Brenda appeals, especially to the Black community. “Our family members need our blood. So we have to come out, support, and contribute to make sure that blood is available for the kids and the adults who need it. I’m speaking from a parent’s perspective. Because I’ve witnessed my son’s life being saved by a transfusion.”

Regular blood transfusions are critical to manage sickle cell disease and its complications. Patients can require as many as 100 units of blood per patient each year. In 2021, the American Red Cross launched the Sickle Cell Initiative to inspire support for patients. Since the initiative, more than 138,000 sickle cell trait screenings have been provided to donors who self-identified as African American. This has nearly doubled the number of new donors, helping save more lives.

“Think about it,” Brenda says. “If you’re ever in a position to need blood yourself, or if you are a parent and your child’s life depended on a life-saving transfusion – put yourself in those shoes and think about it. Are you able, health-wise, to donate? If you are, that should motivate you to become a donor. Realize that you’re saving lives. And that life that you save could be someone you love.”

Patients battling sickle cell disease need your help now. The need for blood is not limited to patients with sickle cell disease. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood — including individuals experiencing childbirth complications, people fighting cancer, and trauma patients in emergency rooms. Schedule a blood donation appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.