ORLANDO, Fla. — An 18-year-old girl is fighting for her life, and she needs the community’s help to survive.
Gigi Felix has an aggressive form of sickle cell disease. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is a bone marrow transplant. But before doctors can do the surgery, they have to find 50 units of very rare blood.
Finding a match is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Because Gigi has had countless blood transfusions over her lifetime, her body has built up antibodies. This means she can only accept blood that is an exact genetic match, or her body will reject it.
“To me, it just seems like my last golden ticket,” Gigi said about the transplant.
That exact match is only found in people of African descent. Statistically, only 1 in 1,000 people of African descent will be a blood match for Gigi. Specifically, doctors are looking for donors with O-negative blood.
“The risks of going into a transplant without enough blood are too high,” said Dr. Brian Cauff. “Without that transplant, she will continue to have life-threatening complications.”
OneBlood is testing donations around the clock to find those 50 units, but they cannot do it alone. They are urgently calling on the African American and Afro-Caribbean communities to step up.
How you can help save Gigi’s life:
-Who is needed: OneBlood urgently needs blood donors who are African American or of African descent.
-Blood type: They specifically need O-negative blood. However, if you are of African descent and do not know your blood type, please still go donate! OneBlood will test your blood type and check if you are a match when you arrive.
-Where to go: Visit **HERE** to make an appointment or find a donor center or Big Red Bus blood drive near you.
Gigi hopes sharing her story will encourage others to speak out, allowing her to finally have her surgery.
“I’m just asking for your help, because I really do need it,” Gigi said. “It would mean a lot to me.”
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