Claflin students respond to HBCU Sickle Cell Blood Drive

The Claflin blood drive was held in conjunction with the Red Cross Sickle Cell initiative. (Panther photo)

The American Red Cross provided Claflin students the opportunity to serve the community by donating blood at the Aug. 28 HBCU Sickle Cell Blood Drive. 

The event was held in conjunction with the Red Cross Sickle Cell initiative, which was begun in 2021 to increase the number of Black blood donors to help patients with sickle cell disease, which mostly affects African Americans.

“The purpose of blood drives is to collect units of blood to distribute to our hospitals for our patients requiring a blood transfusion,” said Vesha Jamison, sickle cell account manager for the South Carolina Region of the American Red Cross Blood Services.

“It is super important, especially on campuses like Claflin, because that is where we collect a number of diverse units for our patients with sickle cell disease,” Jamison said. “There are certain antigens that we look for when screening units of blood specifically for patients with sickle cell disease, and they are more than likely to find more compatible matches from those that are from the African American community.”

The HBCU Sickle Cell blood drive was made possible by a few passionate Claflin students. 

 “That particular blood drive came about because of Allanah [June], and she shared her with us … being a family member of someone with sickle disease, and one of the programs that she was a part of this summer was a paper dedicated to sickle cell disease, which off sprung the idea of hosting a blood drive at Claflin University,” Jamison said.

June, a junior biology major, said, “Volunteering at the blood drive was important to me because not only did I schedule it, but it was to raise awareness for sickle cell anemia. Many individuals with sickle cell need constant blood transfusions, and the American Red Cross plays such a major impact.”

Jamison also cited Claflin’s HBCU Red Cross Ambassador Jayques Nelson.

“We also have an HBCU ambassador on the campus of Claflin, so I know that we will be hosting another drive here in the fall and another in the spring. … That particular ambassador was chosen through our HBCU Ambassador Program, which is open to all HBCUs across the country.”

Nelson, a junior mathematics major, said, “As an ambassador, my main task is to help host blood drives on campus. Growing up, I had a friend who had sickle cell. I saw how this impacted her and how it ultimately led to her death. I believe in the mission of these blood drives in helping people like my friend.”

Jamison said the blood drive at Claflin made a huge impact for the Red Cross. 

“Claflin has always done an excellent job on their blood drives from the years before with the previous ambassador; it is just remarkable working with Claflin University, and they made sure of a huge impact.

“We are able to collect a great number of what we call our CEK negative units, which are those units specifically with patients with sickle cell disease. Because 90% of those donors being diverse donors, we are able to see an impact huge on our blood supply when it comes down to collecting those units that we need for patients with sickle cell.”

Claflin students will get another chance to donate blood in November.

“Our next blood drive at Claflin University will be on Wednesday Nov. 6, and we will also have one in the spring as well,” Jamison said.

 She also gave a helpful tip on how to prepare for a blood drive: “One of the main things you want to prepare for a blood drive is make sure you eat iron-rich foods leading up to [the blood drive], hydrating very well especially the morning of, and also before your appointment time you want to make sure that you have a have a well-balanced meal.”

A right is Claflin’s HBCU Red Cross ambassador Jayques Nelson.

Allanah June made the blood drive happen.