DETROIT (June 12, 2024) – When he is not having a pain crisis due to sickle cell disease, Maurice Dortch is enjoying his favorite pastime: roller skating. He has been skating since he was 13 years old and belongs to  an international skate club that has taken him to California, Atlanta, Houston and throughout the Midwest, including his hometown Detroit.  

“I like to skate to Rick James’ ‘Give it to me,’” he said. “That’s a must skate. Problem is, that’s everybody’s favorite song.”

Dortch has been living with sickle cell since age 2. In recent years, he has found that receiving a blood transfusion every month helps to manage the disease and maintain his quality of life.

“I feel like the blood transfusions are helping me to stay alive,” he said. “If it wasn’t for people who are donating and the Red Cross providing blood drives, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

As World Blood Donor Day (June 14) and World Sickle Cell Day (June 19) approaches, the American Red Cross recognizes these important dates to bring awareness to the need for a safe, diverse and stable blood supply.

• About 20,000 fewer blood donations were collected over the past month than needed to protect the Red Cross national blood supply. Severe weather and record-breaking travel are expected to continue throughout summer, potentially further impacting the ability of donors to give. When fewer people donate, blood products can start to disappear from hospital shelves, but patients counting on lifesaving transfusions have no time to wait. Find a blood drive in your neighborhood at RedCrossBlood.org.   
• Type O blood donors are especially needed to ensure a strong blood supply.       
• One in 3 African American blood donors are a match  for people with sickle cell disease. Having a diverse blood supply is one way to help ensure patients have ongoing access to compatible blood to help avoid serious complications.

Sickle cell disease, the most common genetic blood disorders in the United States, causes red blood cells to be hard and crescent-shaped instead of soft and round. 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.

According to the CDC, about 100,000 people are living with the disease, most of whom are of African descent. More specifically, sickle cell disease occurs in 1 in 365 Black or African American births.

Blood transfusions provide a lifesaving treatment for patients during a sickle cell crisis by increasing the number of normal red blood cells in the body, which
help to deliver oxygen throughout the body and unblock blood vessels.

Currently, stem cell or bone marrow transplants, as well as emerging gene therapy approaches, are the only cure for sickle cell disease. But these treatments are not widely available, and many are still being  researched, which is why blood transfusion, as a treatment, is the most important. One patient with sickle cell can require multiple blood transfusions per year throughout their lifetime to treat complications  from the disease.

Dortch has had two surgeries on his right hip due to complications from sickle cell. Twice he has been put in a medically induced coma while hospitalized due to the severe pain he was experiencing. “The last one (in 2016), doctors didn’t think I was going to make it,” he said.

In recent years, Dortch has become a sickle cell warrior, supporting others who are living with sickle cell and advocating for more people to donate lifesaving blood.  

“This is helping sickle cell patients like me stay alive,” he said of blood donations. “This is helping sickle cell patients get back to a life of normalcy.”

Make an appointment to donate by calling 1-800 RED CROSS, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or using the Red Cross Blood Donor app. In thanks for helping protect the blood supply, donors who give June 10-30 will receive a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. See    redcrossblood.org/dogood for details.

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MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / david.olejarz@redcross.org / 313-303-0606

About the American Red Cross: 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.