Giving blood to ease Sickle Cell Disease

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Dian Auxila, 17, has been battling Sickle Cell Disease her whole life, but that's not stopping her from pursuing her dreams and advocating for other children who need life-saving blood.

Auxila says her passion is drawing. She wants to pursue art as her career.

I want to go to college so bad," she says. "I want to become an artist. I'm really into animation."

But her chronic blood disease is standing in her way.

"I have to go to a school that would help the things that I like to do. But I also have to think about my health on the other side because of my Sickle Cell I have to be transfused every once a month," Auxila explains. "If I have a stroke, they have to take me to the nearest hospital that specializes in Sickle Cell."

Sickle Cell Disease is a genetic blood disorder that primarily strikes African Americans.

"Patients with Sickle Cell can have numerous complications including frequent pain episodes where they get admitted to the hospital," explains Dr. A Kyle Mack of Lurie's Children Hospital. "They can have severe pneumonia. They can also have strokes."

Dr. Mack and his colleagues started the Blue Tie Tag program with the American Red Cross in 2008 to recruit African-American blood donors. Whenever a person of African descent donates blood, it's tagged with a blue tag for possible use in Dr. Mack's young patients. It's also tested for the Sickle Cell trait.

"The rationale for recruiting African Americans to donate blood for sickle cell patients is because the most optimal product is likely to come from people who are of the same ethnicity," Mack says. "Any time anyone donates blood, that blood is used if not for a sickle cell patient, then it is available to another child at Lurie Children's Hospital who needs blood."

For patients like Dian, it is a life-saving gift.

"I've had countless seizures, like very major seizures," she sys. "They're not fun. For the blood donors out there just make sure that you donate blood just for the kids of the future, so they can have a life."

The American Red Cross is teaming up with ABC7 and Blue Cross Blue Shield to host a blood drive on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Call 1-800-RED CROSS to pre-register and sign up, or sign up right here.

Then join ABC7's Cheryl Scott and Hosea Sanders Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Union Station to donate.