In his 20 years of battling sickle cell disease, Jerrick Griffin has suffered multiple strokes (his first was at age 2), a brain bleed and blindness. He has received more than 200 blood transfusions to manage his disease, thanks to generous blood donors.

“Doctors say, without chronic blood transfusions, he will have another stroke,” Shalawn James, Griffin’s mom, said.

“When I get my transfusions, I’m a new person,” Griffin said. “I love it when I get my transfusions. It’s like a refresh to my whole body.”

Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the U.S. It distorts soft and round red 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 strokes. Transfusions provide healthy blood cells, unblocking blood vessels and delivering oxygen, minimizing crises patients with sickle cell may face. 

Griffin told his mom, there is not a day that his body does not hurt, but he has learned to deal with the pain.

“Blood donation, for us, is lifesaving,” James said. “He literally would not be alive today if it weren’t for blood transfusions. He can’t survive without them.”

Griffin, who is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at birth and receives blood transfusions once a month to manage his illness. Between transfusions, Griffin experiences pain in his joints, back and chest.

"Right before my transfusions, I literally do not go anywhere. I stay in the house because my body is so tired,” Griffin said. “But once I get a transfusion, I feel normal again. It makes me feel like my body is on the same level as everybody else’s.”

Unfortunately, sickle cell patients may develop an immune response against blood from donors that is not closely matched to their own. However, because most individuals who are Black have unique structures on their red blood cells that are not often found in other donor populations, 1 in 3 African American blood donors is a match for people with sickle cell disease. 

Each time Griffin gets a blood transfusion, he goes to the hospital a day or two before the procedure so doctors can make sure the blood will be a match. If not, he could have a reaction to the transfusion.

“The one time he had a bad reaction to his transfusion, he was in the hospital for a week,” James said.

“I know a lot of people are afraid of needles, but those few seconds of the needle going in and out of your arm could help people like me for months. You could help us for a long time,” Griffin said.

Joined by Blood

To help ensure patients have the blood products they need, the American Red Cross is working with partners in the Black community to grow the number of blood donors who are Black through the sickle cell initiative, which launched in 2021. In the first year of the initiative, the number of first-time African American blood donors who gave with the Red Cross increased by 60%. In September and October, the Red Cross launches Joined by Blood, a fall component of the initiative where the Red Cross is teaming up with community organizations, like the National Pan-Hellenic Council and others, to host blood drives and inspire donors who are Black to give blood to support patients with sickle cell disease. To learn more, visit RedCrossBlood.org/OurBlood.

Testing for sickle cell trait

At a time when health information has never been more important, the Red Cross is screening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified African American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cross identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sickle cell disease. Donors can expect to receive sickle cell trait screening results, if applicable, within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App and the online donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.   

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.