It’s one part celebration, one part family reunion, and one part life-saving blood drive.  No matter how you slice it, the Dr Charles Drew Blood Drive is an inspiring event.  It’s a chance to honor the man who’s known as the “father of the blood bank.”  It’s also a chance to put a spotlight on Sickle Cell Disease.

Dr. Drew was an African American surgeon and medical researcher who developed techniques for blood storage and was the first to establish large scale blood banks early in World War II.  He became the first medical director of the American Red Cross, his portrait hangs in the blood collection room in Portland, Oregon and he is a hero to many in the organization.

On June 21, 2025 the Red Cross Cascades Region and it’s partners held the 20th Annual Dr. Drew Blood Drive. It brought movers and shakers from the black community and featured Dr. Yvette Miller, the Executive Medical Officer with the Red Cross and a power house in transfusion medicine. She traveled from North Carolina to support the event and took time to explain why this disease is so devastating.

There is no cure for Sickle Cell Disease and patients often need routine blood transfusions to help prevent or treat its painful symptoms. Sixteen-year-old Aaliyah Leffall knows the pain of Sickle Cell Disease first hand. She’s lived with it her whole life.

“There’s not really a way to describe sickle cell pain because it just hurts,” says Leffall.  “Going to school and not knowing if I’m going to have a sickle cell attack or just feeling a small bit of pain always worries you. You could be sitting in class, you could be at P.E., you could be at lunch, the pain starts, and you immediately feel sick to your stomach. Your body starts hurting, your hands start hurting, your back starts hurting and then you start not being able to talk and it gets hard to breathe.”

Pastor Marcia Taylor also knows the pain. She lost her daughter, Ramona, to the disease years ago. Pastor Taylor founded the Sickle Cell Foundation of Oregon in 1985 and continues to advocate for awareness of the disease, treatment and protocols. She says it takes awareness in the community, in the hospitals and it takes compassion from doctors to tackle the disease.

“I’m so appreciative of caring physicians. My daughter was told she would not live past 18 years old but because of a caring physician, blood products, and prayer, she lived to be 37.”

The people who come to this event, year after year, know that a sickle cell patient is more likely to find a compatible blood match from a donor of the same race or ethnic group. There are markers in the blood that help show a match. They know that they need to rally their communities to keep the blood supply strong and they need to roll up their sleeves whenever they can.

They also show up for the Red Crosser who plans this event year after year, Charletta Malone. She’s a powerhouse in her own right and does not take no for an answer. She also has a heart of gold and when you praise her, she’ll say “make sure you mention the sponsors and the partners, I couldn’t do it without them.”

So, thank you to the partners who have made this blood drive successful over the past 20 years. These groups include Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta, Zeta Phi Beta, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Portland Links. We’ll see you all next year!