Blood Brothers

Up until recently I viewed sickle cell as a lonely condition, and to a certain extent it can be, but the reality is that that is not 100% the case.

Fair enough, when it comes to maintaining your health and things like the pain, us sickle cell warriors are in the driving seat, but when I think about all the people in my life that sickle cell has affected one way or another, I realise that it is not a thing that I go through by myself. Yes, I’m affected the most but I cannot be ignorant of the fact that there is a knock on effect. I’ve noticed that in those around me, sickle cell has sometimes caused a strain…be it emotional/ physical/ financial (sometimes all three), and the majority of times I am not able to relieve the strain my condition has caused to those around me. 

I try my best to put less pressure on those around me by looking after myself the best way I possibly can. However, sometimes my best is not good enough, and I have realised that I need to stop putting so much pressure on just myself to make things better.

I personally don’t like asking for help, safe to say I hate it (maybe its a pride thing but I’m working on it)…I like being able to rely on myself but I am quickly coming to the realisation that asking for help isn’t a big deal. I have learned that I do not need to rely solely on myself when it comes to maintaining my health and I shouldn’t shy away from asking for help whenever it’s needed. Everyone eventually needs help with something… So here I am, asking you guys to help me. 

Many sickle cell patients, including myself at quite a few points in my life, are reliant on blood donations as blood transfusions are often an essential part of our care plan. Blood transfusions solve a range of complications that sickle cell causes such as low oxygen and haemoglobin levels, and consequently there is a reduced risk for the onset of a crisis. 



Blood transfusions sound like an effective solution...however they are not readily available.


The blood donations that we receive should ideally be as closely matched to our own as possible, however, less than 5% of donors in the UK are from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background. 
When I initially read this statistic I was so shocked especially because the vast majority of people affected by sickle cell are from BAME backgrounds. 

 I know some people think that blood is blood, that the race of the donor shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately it does. 
If you want to find out the specifics @GiveBloodNHS posted an excellent thread on Twitter going into detail as to why we need more donors who are like us.


When I speak to people about giving blood I'm normally met with responses such as "other people will give blood", "my donation doesn't make a difference" and "the whole process causes too much discomfort", but these beliefs are inaccurate.
Yes, other people do give blood but at the moment the demand for blood donors is greater than the number of people who actually donate. 
Every single blood donation counts! One donation can save up to 3 lives. Literally, 3 human lives can be saved by your one selfless act of generosity. For a lot of people, the importance of giving blood is only realised when something happens close to home, and we shouldn't have to wait for the worst to happen before we decide to do something good. 
I do understand that a lot of people have fears associated with giving blood ranging from the amount of blood donated, to the perceived discomfort of the process. However, I believe that a lot of these fears are simply due to a lack of knowledge & a lot of speculation.

I like to think of us as people who always take care of their own, and becoming a blood donor is another way we can be our brothers/sisters keeper. I honestly urge more people from BAME backgrounds to become blood donors. 

If you are interested in giving blood please register online at: https://my.blood.co.uk/Account/Register and if you want to know what happens when you give blood check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXmkVg8a2Mo 


Competition time

If saving 3 lives isn’t incentive enough I am running a little competition…


For the chance to win a £30 gift card to VapianoUK I am asking all BAME blood donors to:
  1. Post a picture of themselves giving blood on either Twitter, Instagram or Facebook
  2. Tag myself (Twitter: @_titooye/ Facebook: Tito Oye/ Instagram: titooye), @VapianoUK & @GiveBloodNHS and use the hashtags #HerSickledJourney #GiveBlood
These pictures will be added to my “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” page.
This competition will run from today, 19/01/18 till 31/05/18 and the winner will be announced on 01/06/2018 aka my birthday :)
  
Good Luck & Stay Healthy!!!

Tito

p.s. If you have any further questions feel free to get in contact with myself or Give Blood NHS 

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