The American Red Cross continues to push for more blood donations, saying the country is experiencing a blood crisis with supply levels lower than they’ve been in more than a decade.
Often, when people need blood, it is because of an emergency situation. But for others, like some with sickle cell disease, they depend on regularly-scheduled transfusions to stay healthy.
Jessica McDowell has spent her life dealing with sickle cell disease. Her two young daughters have as well.
She said her 12-year-old daughter requires monthly transfusions at Norton’s Novak Center, where unhealthy red blood cells are exchanged with healthy ones from a donor.
For McDowell, hearing of a blood shortage is concerning.
“It’s very scary to hear that,” she said. “Knowing that my oldest — both my children — knowing that there’s days I may need it but knowing my oldest, she needs (transfusions) the most. She has to have those.”
Dr. Ashok Raj with Norton Children’s Medical Group has been taking care of sickle cell patients for more than 20 years. He said blood supplies have improved since December 2021 but are still not back to normal levels. When supplies were at their lowest points, Raj said some sickle cell patients relying on monthly transfusions were put on a different, simpler program requiring fewer units of blood.
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