# @americanredcross on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DAEOxo3Nc6f
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/72589675-americanredcross-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/cc50422e20.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-09-18T17:00:48.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Red Cross (@americanredcross) — https://gondola.cc/americanredcross

## Caption

For Jimi Olaghere, sickle cell disease once meant a life of limitations, sudden and intense pain, and frequent hospitalizations.

Jimi was consumed by severe health complications caused by sickle cell disease, including acute chest syndrome, pneumonia, avascular necrosis and lung damage. Once, he suffered cardiac arrest due to not receiving a preventative blood transfusion before minor surgery.

“Sickle cell was like a dream killer for me,” Jimi said.

Hope appeared in 2019 in the form of a news article detailing how gene therapy could boost the production of healthy red blood cells in patients with sickle cell disease, potentially reducing these excruciating symptoms.

Inspired to have a better quality of life, Jimi signed up to participate in a CRISPR gene-editing clinical trial. Before treatment, he received bi-weekly red blood cell exchanges — a non-surgical procedure that replaces abnormal red blood cells with healthy ones from blood donors — to keep him healthy during the trial.

During the first phase of the gene therapy process, in which his blood stem cells were collected and sent to a lab for genetic editing, he received whole blood transfusions after each collection.

“I received about 20 to 30 units of blood in total,” said Jimi, who’s had over 200 blood transfusions throughout his life. “I don't think I would have had the opportunity to have a gene-editing transplant without blood donations.”

Since completing gene therapy, Jimi’s life has transformed. He no longer experiences sickle cell pain crises that require blood transfusions. His energy has skyrocketed, allowing him to manage work and family life in ways he never imagined. Recently, Jimi hiked a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado in preparation to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for sickle cell disease.

"It kind of feels like I'm living my dream,” Jimi said. “At the same time, I’m still able to go after things I've always dreamed of that I haven't been able to attain because of my disease.”

#TeamUp4SickleCell #DonateBlood #GiveBlood #DonateBloodSaveLives #GiveBloodSaveLives #SickleCellDisease #SickleCell #SickleCellAwareness #SickleCellWarrior

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 293
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 3

## Tags

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

---
Copyright (c) Gondola