CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – For former Clarksville resident Carrie Stevenson, blood transfusions aren’t a rare emergency – they are a regular part of life.
Stevenson was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at just 4 years old, following her first stroke. Since then, she has spent years managing pain crises caused by the condition. “I’ve been in and out of the hospital for years because of that,” she said.
During those episodes, Stevenson relies on blood transfusions to help manage the pain and stabilize her condition. “Those transfusions are basically our lifeline,” she said. “They help us get through the day and be able to operate in society.”
Without them, she said, patients are often left hospitalized with little relief. “We’re just stuck in the hospital in a pain crisis,” Stevenson said.
She said her son, who now attends Austin Peay State University, moved back to Tennessee to help her manage treatment.
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Cancer patient relies on blood during treatment
Clarksville resident Jeff Humphreys knows that same reliance.
Humphreys is being treated for lymphoma and recently underwent a bone marrow transplant. He now goes in for bloodwork several times a week, waiting to learn whether he will need another transfusion. “The blood has really been a lifesaver,” Humphreys said. “Without it, I wouldn’t be here today.”
He said blood donations can be easy to forget for people who haven’t needed them personally – but their impact is profound. “Being out of sight, out of mind, you don’t realize sometimes the importance of the impact it’s having on someone,” he said. “Especially someone fighting cancer.”
The idea of a blood shortage, he said, is frightening. “When you hear the words ‘donating blood,’ I would love for you to think: an opportunity to help save someone’s life,” Humphreys said.
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Red Cross warns of ongoing shortages
Both the American Red Cross and Blood Assurance are warning of low blood supplies following the holiday season, particularly for Type O, A negative and B negative blood.
The organization operates in Clarksville primarily through mobile blood drives and is urging donors to give now. Those who donate by Feb. 28 will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice.
Pro football champion Saquon Barkley, a blood donor with the Red Cross, encouraged people to keep donation appointments during the winter months.
“I gave blood once in college and that was the only time I had ever been asked to give, until the Red Cross reached out this fall,” Barkley said in a Red Cross press release. “It was a no-brainer for me to give again. It only takes about an hour, and once you realize in that short amount of time how much help it can bring – it’s a beautiful thing.”
How to donate blood in Clarksville
The American Red Cross is located at 1760 Madison St. More information is available on their website or by calling (800) 733-2767.
Blood Assurance is located at 1767 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 931-919-2591.
This is Part 2 in a three-part series on the need for blood donation in Clarksville.
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