How blood donations help those with sickle cell disease

“I am in fixed fear that I may not get up,” stated Tahirah Austin-Muhammad.

For the primary six years of Austin-Muhammad’s life, her mother and father had countless questions.

“Why was I at all times sick? Why my chilly lasted longer than my siblings? Why I obtained drained so much simpler,” she stated.

The reply got here when she fainted at college and docs recognized her with sickle cell illness.

“(It is) actually uncommon as a result of sickle cell is a genetic dysfunction that you just’re often recognized with at beginning,” she stated.

The dysfunction means her crimson blood cells break down and die early. The blood scarcity usually means ache, fatigue, infections, and in Austin-Muhammad’s case, it results in kidney illness. It additionally means she wants frequent blood transfusions as she hopes for a treatment sooner or later.

“I am strolling round nonetheless working, nonetheless mothering, nonetheless being a spouse… however I am in want of blood,” she stated.

Thirty years after her analysis, she’s an advocate with the Crimson Cross and the chief working officer of Crescent Basis, which helps individuals with the illness — most of whom are African-American.

The CDC says one among each 13 African-American infants are born with the sickle cell trait.

“In our tradition, these issues will not be spoken about, so it is time to shift the tide,” she stated.

As Austin-Muhammad offers with issues associated to sickle cell, she presently wants blood transfusions each two weeks. Due to her illness and her blood kind, she wants a really particular donor, which is why it is necessary the pool of who’s donating expands.

“You will have blood that’s from somebody of the identical ethnicity so that you just’re not going by way of any reactions, so that you just obtain blood with no issues,” she stated.

The Crimson Cross is aiding in that course of with its “Blue Tag Program,” which marks blood donations that might probably be used for sickle cell sufferers.

For Austin-Muhammad, that donation will save her life.

“There’s life in your blood, actually,” she stated.

You may join the 2022 6abc Philly Blood Drive being held on March thirtieth right here.