You are receiving this brochure because your child has been diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) and your child may need blood transfusions as treatment. Blood transfusions prevent the sickled (banana shaped) red blood cells (RBC) from getting stuck in the blood vessels and provide healthy red blood cells to bring oxygen to every part of the body.
Blood transfusions play an important role in the management of SCD in children. Reasons your child might receive a transfusion include the prevent of stroke and pain episodes. Sometimes blood transfusions are given for other reason as well.
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Sometimes I get a blood transfusion from healthy people so that more of my red blood cells will be round like donuts. No more traffic jams!
And I'm glad transfusions don't hurt. Well there is one moment in the beginning when I feel a pinch that goes away really fast. Like two seconds.
After that, I'm relaxing and having the new healthy blood go into my body. It usually takes a few hours. It's boring, so I always bring books and things I like.
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