Story told by Kathy Stewart, Red Cross Volunteer

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Donations are crucial for surgeries, traumatic injuries, and cancer treatments. Many may not be aware that there’s another group of patients whose lives depend on regular transfusions: the more than 100,000 people with sickle cell anemia.

Daquan Smalls, a phlebotomist with the American Red Cross in Myrtle Beach, remembers that “in elementary school, one of my classmates had it. I didn’t understand it at the time but now that I do, I just want to give back.”

Sickle cell anemia, a hereditary condition, is a severe form of anemia, when there aren’t enough healthy red bloods cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body. In these patients, the red blood cells become rigid, shaped like crescents or sickles, giving the disease its name. These misshapen cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

Regular blood donations are crucial, providing blood to manage these patients’ extreme pain and potentially life-threatening complications. While blood type compatibility is essential for all transfusions, it's particularly crucial for sickle cell patients because they require frequent transfusions. Over time, they can develop antibodies against blood that is not a perfect match, leading to complications. That's why matching blood types and antigens—the more specific factors in blood—is so necessary.

One in 3 African American blood donors are a match for people with sickle cell disease. The American Red Cross is working with partners in the Black community, launching the Sickle Cell Initiative in 2021 to grow the number of African American blood donors. Since launching, the number of first-time African American blood donors has nearly doubled. The American Red Cross also provides sickle cell trait screenings, important for raising awareness.

“You many have the trait or you may have the antigen that could help save someone, possibly your family member who does have the trait,” said Daquan, who learned that he had the antigen during a staff development day and has been a regular donor since 2022.

Blood transfusions help to reduce the risk of stroke, decrease the frequency of pan crises, and prevent or treat complications such as infections or organ damage. Daquan described donations as something that provides recipients with “the power to be able to keep moving forward.”

Donors can best help through what’s called a Power Red donation, in which red blood cells are separated from other blood components, and the plasma and platelets are returned to the donor. Because it’s a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation, it maximizes their impact, providing two units of red blood cells. Power Red donors can donate every 112 days.

Daquan characterized the Power Red process as easy, noting that “It only takes about 30 minutes and literally is just getting past the needle.”

The award-winning Red Cross Blood Donor App makes it easy and convenient for donors to schedule and manage their donation appointments, track the lifetime impact of their donations and recruit others to donate.

“You can see the blood journey from the unit that you provide,” said Daquan on the Red Cross Blood Donor App. “All my units go to Prisma in Columbia, SC.”

Blood donors with the Blood Donor App can view their health history information, including blood pressure, hemoglobin levels, and pulse rate, in their donation history within the app. Download the free app by texting “BLOODAPP” to 90999 or searching “American Red Cross.”

Find a blood drive and schedule an appointment today.