“I have more energy, I’m more alert,” Jamal said. “I’m able to get out of the house, spend time with my family and friends. I can return to life again – return to normal.”
Jamal has been receiving blood transfusions for a long time. Doctors diagnosed him with sickle cell at 6 months old. He experienced his first pain crisis at about 1 year old. He continued having them until age 10, when a stroke lead to a change in his medication that left him crisis free until the age of 22.
“I’ll receive one or two units of blood to increase my healthy cells and shorten the crisis,” he said. “It really helps me out.”