According to the Héma-Québec not enough people of African descent give blood.
“We have around maybe 10,000 Black people in our registry giving blood,” said Naderge Ceneston, the agency’s cultural communities development counselor.
Much fewer, she noted, than what’s needed to help members of the Black communities in the province who suffer from sickle cell anemia.
It’s why the Black History Month Round Table, which organizes events for Black History Month in Montreal, partnered with the province’s blood collection agency to host an annual blood drive in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood Saturday.
“To sensitize and educate the Black communities to do their share to give compatible blood,” explained group president Michael Farkas.
Sickle cell anemia is a painful hereditary blood disorder that mostly affects people of African descent. Ceneston said there are about 200 sickle cell patients in the province who get regular blood transfusions.
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“We need 130 donors for one recipient who has sickle cell disease,” she told Global News.
That amounts to 26,000 blood donations in total annually, but they are getting only about half that.
Ceneston pointed out that the situation is getting even more critical, since more and more people are being diagnosed with the disease because of screening at birth as well as immigration.
According to the Quebec Sickle Cell Disease association, 1 in 10 black people will have the sickle cell gene and when both parents have the gene there’s a 25 percent chance the child will get sick.
Information on their website states, “more than 300,000 children are born each year across the world with this disease and 50% will not reach their fifth birthday without care from birth. Sickle cell anemia is more common than hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and many others.”
Héma-Québec points out that people getting regular blood transfusions should get blood from someone with a close genetic profile, in this case other Black people.
It’s something some of those who went to give blood in Little Burgundy Saturday were keenly aware of.
“Yes, it’s also a reason I came today to help out if possible,” stated Marika Houde. “If my blood type can help out someone who has sickle cell anemia it’s definitely a benefit.”
Another donor Natasha Vincent added that it’s a way to help her community.
“I think any way that we can help each other is beneficial and this is just one way to go about it.”
Organizers of the event hope is the message will reach as many people in the communities as possible.
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