Mapillar Dahn has three daughters with sickle cell disease. Her middle daughter, Khadeejah “Deej” Tyler, relies on blood transfusions after having a stroke.
“If I go without blood transfusion, it’s a high risk I will have a stroke, the 15-year-old said. “I’ve had one before. We are so on top of it. It’s a must to donate.”
The Blood Connection is also urging others to donate as they said supply levels are critically low. Allie Van Dyke of The Blood Connection said they are experiencing historically low turnout which is creating a problem for blood centers.
“We had a sharp decrease the past few months, Van Dyke said. “We thought it would turn up when things started opening up. We are in a worse place right now than we were in the middle of the pandemic.”
“When you don’t have stable blood supply, you have to put hospitals at risk,” she explained. “Our hospitals are experiencing more traumas. We need to provide them blood in emergencies.”
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