As the NHS issued an urgent appeal to blood donors of Black heritage on World Sickle Cell Day yesterday (19 June) supermodel Jourdan Dunn donated blood in Brixton.
Her son Riley is one of the country’s 13,000 sickle cell patients who rely on blood transfusions from Black heritage donors to live with the condition.
The NHS needs around 250 donations each day from Black heritage donors to meet current need, and demand continues to grow.
Jourdan teamed up with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) at the donor centre on Brixton Road to highlight the urgent need for more Black heritage blood donors to come forward to help treat sickle cell patients.
“Why not be a hero?” she asked potential and existing donors as she emphasised the need for regular donations. It was her third donation.
She recalled the first time her son received a blood transfusion.
“I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the simple fact that my son is getting blood because somebody did the selfless act of donating.”
She said that whenever she saw her son in hospital she felt helpless – “but I then learned that, even though I have the sickle cell trait, I can also donate.
“So I actually can make a difference and help support my son and other people who are in need of blood transfusions.”
Jourdan knows it is essential to raise awareness about the need for blood donors, particularly in the Black community.
“All blood is welcome,” she said, “but for people with sickle cell, the better match is of Black heritage.
“I’m so proud of the community for showing up whenever there is a call to action.
“However, we are now in need of regular donations.” In other words, don’t just wait to be asked!
“Men can donate up to four times a year and women can donate three times a year.
“The simple way for me to look at it is like I do when I book in my beauty maintenance appointment – I’ll do a facial once a month.
“So now it’s like, OK, you need to make a blood donation a priority three times a year.
“There’s a fear of needles and there’s a fear of it all. But it’s so simple, so easy – and the NHS will have you in and out of here in no time.
“The process of giving blood is so short, but the impact is literally lifesaving and can last a lifetime.
“You may not think about it right now, but somebody like yourself could need your support, need your help, your blood, and it’s as simple as just taking the time out to donate, where you can actually be a real-life hero.
“You can help save a life, give somebody a better quality of life. So, yeah, why not be a hero and save life and donate?”
New donors will join thousands of others. An appeal to mark National Blood Week (9 to 15 June), highlighted the overall need for one million regular donors to maintain safe supplies and avoid a critical shortage that poses a risk to patient care and public safety – including a specific need for more donors of Black heritage.
During the first seven days of the campaign, more than 29,000 people registered as new donors and over 100,000 appointments were booked.
Of the 29,000 people who registered last week, 1,000 were from a Black heritage background.
Aliya Gladyng from Sydenham relies on regular six-weekly transfusions to help manage her sickle cell anaemia.
“As an exchange patient, I receive blood transfusions every six weeks. Each time, I have eight units taken out of my body and eight more units of donated blood put back in,” she says.
“This means I need around 70 bags of blood every year. Please donate blood. You really have no idea how much it helps people like me.”
Brenda Smith, a long-time blood donor from Croydon and supporter of the Sickle Cell Society, started giving blood aged 21 in 1989.
She saw a blood donation van on her home from work and decided to go in while waiting for the rush hour to die down.
“Since then, I’ve donated 52 times and hope to give at least 52 more. The more I’ve learnt, the more I’ve realised just how important it is.
“Why not be a real hero and do something, like giving blood, which is so relatively simple!”
As well as the need for more donors of Black heritage, there is an ongoing need for more O negative and B negative blood donors.
The Brixton centre, next door to Marks & Spencer and a few minutes’ walk from the Tube, is a state-of-the-art, squeaky clean and super-efficient establishment, fully equipped with facilities and a welcoming team of professional staff on hand, who fully appreciative of your valued but simple sacrifice. Pop in and make an appointment as soon as you can!
The Brixton blood donor centre at 444 Brixton Road, Brixton. SW9 8BH is open seven days a week, with a appointment times throughout the day, including evening and weekends.
To speed up the process, potential donors can register via the NHSBT app – visit: blood.co.uk – or call: 0300 123 23 23.
As well as Brixton, NHSBT has permanent London donor centres in Tooting, Edgware, the West End, Shepherd’s Bush, Stratford and Twickenham.
Brixton opening times:
Monday: 10:20 – 14:05 & 15:35 – 19:10
Tuesday: 08:20 – 12:05 & 13:35 – 17:10
Wednesday: 11:20 – 15:05 & 16:35 – 20:10
Thursday: 10:20 – 14:05 & 15:35 – 19:10
Friday: 08:20 – 12:05 & 13:35 – 17:10
Saturday: 08:20 – 12:05 & 13:35 – 17:10
Sunday: 08:20 – 12:05 & 13:35 – 17:10
