Kami and Kyra Crawford know what it’s like to try and find a matching marrow or stem cell donor.
The sisters are living with sickle cell anemia, a chronic blood disorder that causes severe pain and fatigue. They had considered a marrow transplant as a treatment that could lead to living pain-free lives. However, African Americans are largely underrepresented on the national marrow registry.
Kami and Kyra are now pursuing other options to beat sickle cell anemia, but they want to raise awareness about the need for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds to join the marrow registry. They also depend on blood transfusions every 3-6 weeks in order to relieve some of the pain they experience due to their condition.
It only takes about 20 minutes to make a blood donation AND sign up for the marrow registry. Learn more about the marrow registry here.
All presenting donors at our VelocityTX blood and marrow drive will score: