BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder. It primarily affects African-Americans.
The need for blood is critical, but the donation bank isn't always plentiful.
More than 100,000 people in the United States are living with and battling sickle cell disease.
There are many incentives for those who can give blood this weekend at a ConnectLife blood drive at a community health fair at Johnnie B. Wiley Sports Pavilion.
Felisha White, blood donor services supervisor for ConnectLife said "You get as many snacks as you want. We do give out t-shirts and we're also giving out a monthly incentive for Delta Sonic, a gift card for Delta Sonic. So it's really nice just to come out to get to meet new people do new things and hopefully just get educated about the whole process."
Juanita McClain is a Buffalo teacher who spent several days on and off in a hospital due to sickle cell and nearly passed away.
"This blood drive is very important because if many people do not know, blood transfusions is one of the main treatments for sickle cell patients. Oftentimes, we have to receive a blood transfusion just to help us regain those healthier rare blood cells because our blood cells, we know they die off earlier. So we need them to be replaced. With the healthier ones so that we can have less sickling, less hospital visits," McClain said.
Roswell Park has a dedicated pediatric center with a outpatient care for transfusion therapy. Dr. Steven Ambrusko is with UBMD Pediatrics in hematology oncology. He advises people, especially African-Americans to "donate because you're adding to the pool of donor blood that's out there from which we are taking to help your family members. Whether or not it's going directly to them or not. You're getting out there and adding more to this donor pool to save lives and just to think that it's just a little bit of time out of your schedule to be able to do this thing that can literally save somebody's life, it's incredibly important."
White said it's important to have the blood drive and bus at this location on Jefferson Avenue "because we're trying to get the African American population and Hispanic ethnic population in to donate that blood."
Check the ConnectLife website for more information on locations to donate blood.
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