A young Triangle woman is doing her part to attract more Black people to blood donation.
The blood supply across the country and here at home has hit emergency-level lows this year, but the blood supply also needs to be more diverse.
“I want to be an advocate for sickle cell and people like me,” said Shanelle Bynum, who if you didn’t know her, would have no idea the Durham 20-year-old suffers from a potentially deadly chronic illness.
Bynum is one of 100,000 Americans living with sickle cell anemia. Her mom, Vikki Campbell, recorded her daughter’s cries in the hospital through one of her last bouts with the disease. It’s an inherited red blood cell disorder that distorts the cells into sickle-like shapes; blocking small blood vessels, triggering the anemia and unimaginable pain.
Bynum describes the pain as a full-body migraine, but 10 times worse.
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