Dr. Alexia Mays was compelled to study epidemiology, not only because of her personal battle with sickle cell disease, but also because blood diseases like it run in her family – when she was 4 years old, she lost her mother to a rare blood disease, and her father passed away from complications with sickle cell disease when she was 6. 💔 “I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a researcher, and I wanted to be a scientist,” Dr. Mays said. “I wanted to make an impact in the community because of the fact that sickle cell is one of the most under-researched, underfunded diseases in the nation." Dr. Mays has volunteered with the Red Cross since she was 17 and is now a blood donor ambassador with RedCrossNTX. She chose that role because she wanted to dispel rumors and start an active dialogue with the Black community and all donors about the importance of giving blood. “Without blood donors, we're not here. People at the hospitals are not going to live without them – can't have trans...