The race to save a Fort Lauderdale woman is on.
OneBlood is calling on people of African descent to donate blood as soon as they can to save the life of 18-year-old Gigi Felix, who has sickle cell disease and is in need of a rare blood type combination.
Sickle cell is a chronic illness that affects red blood cells and causes severe pain, and in extreme cases, death. The genetic condition causes red blood cells to be crescent-shaped rather than being round. Because of the misshaping, the red blood cells tend to block blood flow and cause pain, anemia and a higher risk of serious infections.
OneBlood says Felix is in need of a bone marrow procedure to survive.
"To me it just seems like my last golden ticket," Felix said in a statement released by OneBlood, a regional blood bank that supplies most hospitals in Florida.
The procedure requires O-Negative blood, which is very rare, as only 7% of the population has that type. But Felix also needs a blood antigen profile found in those of African descent. Antigens are proteins and sugars that attach themselves to red blood cells and act as a "nametag" that can trigger the immune system to release antibodies to attack foreign invaders.
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Since sickle cell is inherited, Felix has had to deal with the pain her whole life. The reason her blood combination is so rare is because of the number of transfusions she's received over a lifetime. With each transfusion, the chance of creating more antibodies to reject the incoming new red blood cells increases.
"The only people who are likely to be a match for her are people who are African American or of African descent, and of that population, 1 in 1,000 will be a match for her," OneBlood spokesperson Susan Forbes said.
Felix requires 50 units of the rare blood type-antigen combination, meaning 50,000 people will likely have to donate for OneBlood to get the amount needed, Forbes said.
Felix's brother is a match for the bone marrow transplant. According to OneBlood, a successful marrow transplant will give Felix a chance at a life free of the pain brought on by sickle cell.
"Almost every patient that gets a transplant for sickle cell is cured of the disease," said Dr. David Crawford, who will perform Felix's procedure at Holtz Children's Hospital at UHealth Jackson Children's Care, in Miami.
After the procedure, Felix will need blood transfusions until her body can make red blood cells on its own. According to OneBlood, doctors are concerned that Felix could have transfusion complications during the transplant, which is why 50 units of the specially matched blood are required.
Meantime, OneBlood also needs donors as an emergency shortage continues. All types are needed currently, especially O-negative, the universal blood type. OneBlood says hospitals are relying on a "one-day" supply.
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"Summer is a difficult time for blood collections to begin with, and right now there's an urgent call out there for type O blood. There is an urgent appeal out to people for the emergency shortage that we're having right now for all blood types to come out and donate," Forbes said.
No appointment is necessary, and donors can walk into any OneBlood center or Big Red bus.
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