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Patient Stories

Samuel Rivers

Samuel

Samuel, 40, was born with sickle cell disease, and transfusions are a way of life in coping with the hereditary condition. For the past 13 years, he has received a transfusion every four weeks, and more times than he can count, that blood has come from a LifeSouth donor. Without them, he says, he never would have reached his 40th birthday and be able to raise his son.

Through a special program called Sickle Cell Heroes, LifeSouth looks for these donors whose special blood type causes fewer complications for sickle cell patients and others who receive numerous transfusions.

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Dikari Joseph

Dikari Joseph

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Sharee Greene

Sharee Greene

At only ten years old, complications from Sickle Cell Disease caused Sharee Greene to have a stroke. Her mother rushed her to the hospital where doctors discovered she was in need of a blood transfusion. Persistent seizures meant frequent hospitalizations for Sharee,...

Kayla Ann Jernigan

Kayla Ann Jernigan

Soon after Kayla Ann Jernigan was born, she was diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD), a hereditary blood disorder in which abnormally shaped red blood cells cause blockages in the blood vessels. In addition to complications like fatigue, infections and organ...