We Are All Related By Blood
Camp Jumoke teams up with the Canadian Blood Services to encourage members of the African-Canadian Community to donate blood.
The best way to help Sickle Cell
patients is to increase the number of phenotyped blood donors from
the Black community.
We need your help to make sure that there is
an adequate blood supply for
Sickle Cell patients who require
blood transfusions.
Many Sickle Cell patients are treated with blood
transfusions to relieve their “crisis”.
When a patient needs a blood transfusion, a compatible
blood type is required.
In the case of Sickle Cell, the extent of the match may need to be
more precise. The
precise matching for special antigens is called phenotyping.
The largest number of compatible donors for Sickle Cell patients
is within the Black community.
Canadian Blood Services offers a special typing service
to
identify donations for use in treating Sickle Cell patients.
For further information, please contact Canadian Blood Services at
1-888-2-Donate
or use the link below.
On behalf of the children, THANK YOU!
 Learn about stem cell donation
What is OneMatch all about?
OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network is responsible for finding and matching volunteer donors for patients who require stem cell transplants. Fewer than 30 per cent of patients who need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor within their own families. The rest rely on those who have volunteered to donate stem cells to anyone in need.
What Is Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)?
 Sickle
Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that causes
the distortion, or “sickling,” of red blood cells. It
occurs when a child like our poster child for 2007/8, Neneh-Iye inherits a sickle
cell gene from each parent.
SCD affects millions of people
throughout the world, in countries such as West and Central
Africa,
South America, Cuba, Central
America, India, Middle East and Mediterranean
countries. It is particularly common among people of African
ancestry. In Canada, approximately 1 in 600 have the disease
and approximately
1 in 10 people are carriers of the sickle cell trait.
 In
SCD, the red blood cells contain an
abnormal type of hemoglobin. Unlike normal red blood
cells that are usually smooth and donut-shaped, these red blood
cells become stiff and assume a sickle-shape (crescent shaped)
and have difficulty passing through small blood vessels. When
sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can
reach that part of the body. The sickle cells also block the flow
of blood through vessels resulting in pain episodes (arms, legs,
chest and abdomen) lung tissue damage (acute chest syndrome) and
strokes. Oftentimes, their illness causes them to be absent from
school for extended period of time.
Children who have SCD often
experience periods of “crisis,” acutely painful episodes
of symptoms such as fever and swelling of the joints. These symptoms
usually manifest when a child is about two years old.
Other related medical complications
include pneumonia, blood and respiratory infections that can
lead to permanent physical disabilities. Even with constant
care and
medical supervision, sickle cell disease can be fatal.  Currently, there is no known cure for
SCD. However,
effective medical care, such as painkillers and blood transfusions,
make it possible for those who have the disease to better cope with
the complications.
For more information about Sickle Cell
Disease,
please contact:
The Sickle Cell Association of Ontario
3199 Bathurst Street
North York, ON
M6A 2B2
Phone: (416) 789-2855
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