Model Jourdan Dunn has highlighted the need for more black heritage donors to come forward to give blood – as she provided a blood donation herself.
Dunn, known for appearing on the catwalks of London, Paris and New York, attended the capital’s newest blood donation centre in Brixton, south London, to mark World Sickle Cell Day.
Dunn’s teenage son Riley is one of the country’s 13,000 sickle cell patients who rely on blood transfusions from black heritage donors so they can live with the condition.
Sickle cell is the country’s fastest-growing inherited blood disorder that disproportionately affects black African and black Caribbean communities, according to the NHS.
Around 250 babies are born with the condition in the UK each year.
The service currently needs to recruit 16,000 new black heritage blood donors this year to meet the growing need.
Regular blood transfusions form the first line of defence against the condition, with patients responding best to donations containing the Ro blood type, which is significantly more prevalent in donors of black heritage.
More than half (56%) of donors of black heritage are likely to have the Ro blood type, compared with just 2.4% of other ethnicities.
Dunn, 34, said: “As a mother who has seen her child battle sickle cell, I am committed to doing all I can to help him, and the thousands of other people with the condition, have the best chance to live a full and healthy life.
“That’s why I’ve come to Brixton to give blood and ask the black community to register to do the same.
“By giving an hour of your time three to four times a year, you can save up to 12 lives – that’s an amazing power you have in your hands.
“I’m incredibly thankful to the record numbers of black donors who have given blood in Brixton and across the country, but as numbers of sickle cell patients increase, so too does the need for more donors to come forward.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) director of donor experience Mark Chambers said: “We’ve seen a great response to our calls for more black heritage donors to sign up to become blood donors, but the need for more to register and become regular blood donors is growing.
“Blood transfusions to pre-empt sickle cell crises are helping more people live well with the condition, but on average we need 250 donations a year to help them, that’s why it’s vitally important we recruit more black heritage donors.
“Jourdan’s support, both as an NHS ambassador and a donor, will hopefully encourage others to follow her lead and spare an hour of their time to make a lifesaving difference.”
Sickle cell patient Calvin Campbell said: “I owe my life to the generosity of black heritage donors.
“Every four weeks I need to have 10 to 12 units of blood transfused into my body to allow me to be relatively healthy.
“Without those blood donations I would have died years ago and not have the life I have now.
“I wouldn’t have had children, grandchildren, and the ability to work.”
Those wanting to donate blood can register via the NHSBT app, visit blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.
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