Help patients with sickle cell disease by giving blood
Patients often rely on blood transfusions for treatment
Donors urged to give blood at these Eastern Massachusetts blood drives
When patients living with sickle cell disease face a sickle cell crisis, blood transfusions can make a lifesaving difference. That’s why the American Red Cross seeks to grow the number of blood donors who are Black to help patients with sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S. Local donors can join this effort by giving blood at scheduled drives in Massachusetts and at the drives listed below.
Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter the drive's zip code into 'Find a Blood Drive' at the top left of the page.
June 19 - Harvard University - Northwest Labs - Lower Level Front Basement Staircase 12:00 PM-5:00 PM - zip code 02138
June 19 - Somerville - Bow Market (Upstairs at Bow - Events Hall) 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM - zip code 02143
June 19 - Cambridge - Community Art Center - Gymnasium 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM - zip code 02139
June 19 - Osterville Village Library 11:00 AM -3:30 PM - zip code 02655
June 20 - Roxbury YMCA 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM - zip code 02119
June 22 - Brockton - Westgate Mall 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM - zip code 02301
June 27 - Boston: Phi Beta Sigma / Omicron Chi Sigma Chapter, Suffolk County Alumni Chapter at KIPP ACADEMY Gym 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM – zip code 02126
More than 100,000 people live with sickle cell disease nationwide and may require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lifetime. The disease distorts soft, round blood cells and turns them hard and crescent-shaped. As a result, blood has difficulty flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, which may lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, anemia, and even strokes.
Unfortunately, frequent transfusions can make finding compatible blood types more difficult when patients develop an immune response against blood from donors that is not closely matched to the blood of the recipient. For patients with sickle cell disease, blood donors who are Black are almost 3 times more likely to be a match for the blood most commonly needed, compared with donors who are not Black or African American.