A Family’s Journey of Perseverance with Sickle Cell

The Dandridge family knows firsthand the importance of having access to a strong and diverse blood supply when they need it. David Jr. was born with sickle cell disease – the most common genetic blood disorder in the U.S. He received his first blood transfusion at 18 years old after experiencing acute chest syndrome and has received countless blood transfusions to treat pain crises, complications and multiple transient ischemic attacks (TIA), or ministrokes.

David Jr. has also had to consider the transfusion needs of his immediate family. While pregnant with their first child, his wife Omowunmi discovered she was a sickle cell trait carrier through prenatal testing. Due to the couple each having an abnormal hemoglobin S gene, this meant their children would have a 50% chance of inheriting either sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait. For the Dandridge family, all three of their children – Skylar, David III and Donovan, were born with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is an enduring and often invisible condition — associated with health outcome and resource disparities in the U.S. To help address these disparity, the American Red Cross is currently providing sickle cell trait screening on all blood donations from self-identified African American donors and partnering with organizations in the Black community to increase the number of blood donors who are Black to help improve health outcomes of patients. One in 3 African American blood donors are a match for people with sickle cell disease. Help meet the transfusion needs of patients by scheduling a blood donation appointment at https://RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

#redcross #sicklecellanemia #sicklecellwarriors