When her son needed an emergency blood transfusion for acute chest syndrome — the leading cause of death in people living with sickle cell disease — Brenda remembers thinking, “That’s somebody’s blood going into my baby’s body. Is it going to work?” Sickle cell disease distorts red blood cells and prevents them from flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body. Blood transfusions offer much-needed relief from severe pain and complications of the disease. “Sickle cell causes damage anywhere that blood flows,” she said. “We've had some close calls to where we were waiting and I’m [wondering], is the blood available?” Now, Braden is living with avascular necrosis, a disease resulting from a lack of blood supply to his bones. He’s suffered strokes, has had pneumonia multiple times, and his memory is often impeded. He visits a surgeon for scans every few months, a new normal in his routine. “I’ve become used to the pain,” he said. During his birthday month, Braden and hi...