# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DBMpm4qMQvf
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72589501-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e6702ba713.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-10-16T20:00:35.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

Jamari was born weighing just 2 pounds, 6 ounces, and had to spend the first three months of his life in the NICU. It wasn't until a week before he was discharged that his mother, Michayla, learned he had sickle cell disease.

“I have the sickle cell trait, but I didn’t even know that until I was pregnant with him,” Michayla said. “I was completely unprepared. When they confirmed Jamari had sickle cell disease, I was in shock.”

Jamari's fragile start to life made his diagnosis even harder for Michayla to process. He had already undergone multiple surgeries, and on top of his medical needs, Michayla needed to quickly learn how to manage the challenges of sickle cell disease.

"It was overwhelming," she said. “I didn’t know how I would recognize if he was in pain, especially when he was so little. I felt lost. But I had to educate myself quickly. I had family members who had it, and I lost my cousin and her daughter to sickle cell disease."

Managing Jamari's diagnosis means navigating frequent hospital stays, particularly when his hemoglobin levels drop and he needs a blood transfusion. It also means being cautious when taking him out or to gatherings, especially after an infection led to one of his hospitalizations.

"We threw him a 1st birthday party, but despite all the precautions we took, he ended up with the flu just a few days later," Michayla said. "That’s the constant fear I live with. If he gets sick, it can lead to something more serious. A simple cold could mean days in the hospital, multiple blood transfusions, and needles. He’s already had so many transfusions, and he’s only 1."

Michayla is very thankful for the blood donors who power the blood transfusions Jamari relies on.

"I don’t know if my son would have been able to survive everything that he’s already gone through. From a mother’s standpoint, with a son that has gone through so much, it means a lot." #TeamUp4SickleCell

#BloodDonor #BloodDonors #GiveBlood #DonateBlood #GiveBloodSaveLives #DonateBloodSaveLives #SickleCellDisease #SickleCell #SickleCellAwareness #SickleCellWarrior

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- **Likes:** 366
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## Tags

donatebloodsavelives, givebloodsavelives, sicklecelldisease, blooddonor, sicklecellwarrior, sicklecellawareness, giveblood, donateblood, sicklecell, blooddonors, teamup4sicklecell

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