Sickle cell patient bringing awareness to National Donor Day

Sarah began to experience pain and discomfort in her left hip in June of 2022. She was diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN), a condition where the blood supply to the ball of the hip joint is lost, a common condition in a sickle cell patient. To combat her hip pain, Sarah started intensive physical therapy as a recommendation from her care team, instead of a hip replacement. 

A few days after Sarah was discharged from physical therapy, she suffered a stroke. To reduce the damage to her brain, Sarah did three months of blood transfusions. Following her stroke, Sarah’s care team decided to put her on the Be the Match transplant list, as bone marrow transplant is the only way to cure sickle cell disease.

Even though Sarah has faced many challenges after her stroke, she enjoys playing with her dolls, solving math problems and playing dress up. Sarah continues to have a positive outlook on life while waiting for her perfect bone marrow match. 

Consider becoming a blood stem cell donor.