How can I help FIGHT Sickle Cell this month?

Because of the lack of visibility Sickle Cell has it can be difficult to find ways to fight this cause depending on what part of the country you are in.

I spent six years in New Orleans and for the first few years I had a hard time tracking down the local Sickle Cell community until I realized there wasn’t one. Finally I decided to take matters in to my own hands and that’s when BLACKout! was born. Through the process of planning BLACKout! I came across a number of carriers & supporters who had ambitions of coming together to organize and fight the good fight.

During BLACKout! several people asked how they could help the Sickle Cell community locally in New Orleans and I often came up empty handed, other than telling them to first educate themselves about the illness & then educate others. I believe bringing awareness to this disease has to be the number one focus. Visibility of an illness makes all the difference.

One suggestion I never thought to give people was donating blood and I wish I had! Blood supply is crucial for carriers of Sickle Cell. Many patients receive regular weekly transfusions, some multiple times/week and blood is always in need!

Donating blood absolutely saves lives. I had an emergency total blood exchange once when I was a kid during one of my three near-death experiences and it helped saved my life. I obviously didn’t realize the importance then but looking back, what if there was a shortage of my blood type? How different would my situation have been? Doctors told my parents that blood exchange is what turned my situation around and I’m forever grateful to the donors who gave that blood.

I’m not great at being p.c. and I have a hard time keeping up with the latest preferred terminology so I’m going to state it plainly: while we need everyone’s blood and every blood type there is an extra special need for blood from Black donors. That’s just the bottomline. I would love to break it down & tell you why race/background/ethnicity matters but there’s a reason I changed my mind early on about being a doctor. Science & I have been beefing since 10th grade.

September is National Sickle Cell Awareness month so if you want to FIGHT Sickle Cell with us, please donate blood if you’re eligible. Not sure if you’re eligible? Well looka here: a handy little checklist from our friends at Blood Centers of the Pacific to find out if you are eligible to donate blood!

But wait! There’s more! If you are anywhere near the Bay Area on September 22 we have the perfect opportunity for you. The H.U.B.R.I.S. Tour (TheSeKondElement + Bettis + BassMonsterTiff) will be headling Blood Centers of the Pacific’s annual 102 Heroes Blood Drive this year! So that’s free entertainment, a chance to win prizes, & most importantly the opportunity to help FIGHT Sickle Cell! If you tell me you can beat that then you & I need to have a sit-down! ;O)

Want some more facts about blood donation? I figured you might. So here ya go!

September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month! FIGHT with us!

The H.U.B.R.I.S. Tour welcomes Blood Centers of the Pacific as a new sponsor!

Blood Centers of the Pacific is a nonprofit, community-based organization that provides blood and blood components to hospitals, physicians and patients throughout Northern California. It also houses the Blood Systems Research Institute which conducts medical research to improve blood safety and patient care. Blood Centers of the Pacific helps 50,000 patients every year with blood donated by community volunteers and is a subsidiary of Blood Systems, the second largest blood collection organization in the U.S.

We’re most definitely honored to have Blood Centers supporting us and what we believe in! This tour just keeps getting better and better.

On September 22, TheSeKondElement, Bettis, & BassMonsterTiff, known collectively as The H.U.B.R.I.S. Tour, will be headlining the Blood Centers’ 102 Heroes Blood Drive event in Oakland. For more information on The H.U.B.R.I.S. Tour, Blood Centers of the Pacific, and the 102 Heroes Blood Drive check back often for frequent updates.