African-American blood donors

Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers President Ann McKanna says that race often plays a significant role when it comes to donating blood. “Blood transfusions for patients with Sickle Cell Disease will be more successful if the blood donated came from an African-American blood donor," says McKanna. "The African-American donors have different proteins on the surface of their blood cells than Caucasian donors." Finding blood for African-American patients with Sickle Cell Disease and other illnesses is often difficult because only 1% of the nation's donors are African American.