DonorConnect

Blood Assurance, Brewer Media, Power 94 WJTT, the Prince Hall Shriners and T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger will host “Stomp Out Sickle Cell” on Saturday, April 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brainerd Recreation Center.

The event, which is being held to raise awareness of sickle cell disease, will feature a five on five basketball tournament, car show, refreshments, voter registration and a blood and marrow drive.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder of the red blood cells and primarily affects the African-American community. Serious infections and stroke are just some of the results of the disease. Children who experience stroke are typically committed to monthly blood transfusions for life.

“The benefit of the ‘Stomp Out Sickle Cell’ event is to educate everyone on the signs, symptoms and genetics of sickle cell disease while focusing on treatment opportunities and social support services. Patients of our clinics can benefit directly from blood donation and more importantly could be recipients of bone marrow donations if we are able to diversify the registrants in the Be the Match program,” said Dr. Jennifer Keates.

The Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, comprising more than 200 children’s hospitals around the world.

Currently, Erlanger and T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital treat more than 115 patients for sickle cell anemia. Six patients are chronically transfused with blood products on a monthly basis due to stroke or risk of stroke.

At least 15 local patients would currently benefit from a marrow transplant.

Only 30 percent of patients in need of a transplant will find one within their families. The remaining 70 percent turn to the Be The Match Registry, a national database of potential marrow donors.

Joining the registry is quick and requires a cheek swab, short informational session and paperwork. The primary method for donating marrow has also changed. For more information about being a marrow donor, visit www.bethematch.org.

Since sickle cell patients sometimes require blood transfusions, Blood Assurance will also be collecting blood donations at the event. All blood donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. All donors will receive a complimentary snack and t-shirt.

For more information about the event, please visit www.stompoutsicklecell.org.

Bloodanooga, Chattanooga’s largest one-day blood and marrow drive, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at the UTC Arena from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. More than 1,000 people participated in last year’s event. Our goal this year is to collect 1,000 blood donations. Visitors will also be able to join the Be The Match Registry, which matches potential donors with patients in need of life-saving marrow transplants.

Blood Assurance is the only source of blood products for area hospitals. Since each blood donation can benefit up to three patients, one-thousand donations would impact approximately 3,000 patients in our area.

Parking is available for donors in the Blood Assurance parking lot, directly across from the arena. The main entrance for the event is Gate 3.

You can follow us on Twitter (@bloodassurance) for updates throughout the day.