Family's desperate plea for black blood donors to fight devastating disease

06 September 2023 , 23:01

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Sickle cell disease has been described like "razor wires pressing into you all over your body" (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

NHS chiefs are making an urgent appeal for blood donations to treat patients with ­devastating sickle cell disease.

The condition mostly affects people of ­Afro-Caribbean heritage and demand for black donors has surged by more than 50% in five years.

Sufferers have red blood cells shaped like sickles rather than being round, causing painful ­blockages and strokes.

A married couple who have the disease have backed the NHS appeal.

Rebecca and Karl (pictured with daughter Janayah) need to have all their blood replaced once a month

Karl Henry and Rebecca Solomon-Henry rely on hundreds of donors a year to save their lives. They need regular red blood cell exchanges at Birmingham’s City Hospital. Daughter Janayah, 13, also has the disease.

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Rebecca, 39, said: “The exchanges are life-changing.

“We need you to give people like us the best chance of an amazing quality of life. I urge more people of my colour to donate blood.”

Karl, 40, described a sickle cell crisis as like having “razor wires pressing into you all over your body”.

Dr Farrukh Shah of NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We need more black donors.”

The Mirror has launched the give a pint, save a life campaign.

What is sickle cell disease?

Red blood cells are sickle-shaped instead of being circular. It sparks painful blockages in vessels that can lead to damage to organs such as the liver and heart and eyes and even fatal strokes.

The disease can also cause anaemia as the cells cannot carry enough oxygen. Sufferers often need morphine to combat the pain.

Martin Bagot