Vitalant’s Post

🌟 It's June 19—Juneteenth & World Sickle Cell Day! 🎉 Today, on Juneteenth, we commemorate the end of slavery and honor the resilience of the Black community. It's vital to recognize the journey to freedom, and the ongoing fight for equality—including equity in healthcare. 🩸 Today, we also acknowledge World Sickle Cell Day to raise awareness about Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), the most common hereditary disorder that predominantly affects individuals of African descent. More than 100,000 people in the US have SCD and 1 in 13 Black babies are born with the sickle cell trait. It is essential to recognize the intertwined significance of these observances and their impact on the Black community. At San Diego Blood Bank, our mission is to save lives with blood and biotherapies. We do that with the support of our community of lifesavers. 🩸 When you give blood, you help ensure every patient, every individual, can receive the care and blood they need, regardless of race or background. Together, we can make a difference. 💫 Learn more about these important events and the critical role blood donation plays in supporting patients with Sickle Cell by visiting the blog, https://hubs.ly/Q02CvsNR0 #Juneteenth #SickleCellAwareness #SanDiegoBloodBank

Minority Donor Awareness Month is a time to reflect on the critical need for more minority donors and to honor the selfless individuals who have chosen to give the gift of life. The statistics are sobering - minorities make up over 60% of those waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, yet only 30% of registered donors identify as a racial or ethnic minority. This disparity can have devastating consequences, as patients are more likely to find a match with a donor of the same racial or ethnic background. This Minority Donor Awareness Month, let us come together to educate, advocate and inspire more minorities to register as donors. Every name added to the registry represents the possibility of a new beginning - for the donor, their family, and the patient whose life hangs in the balance. Though the need is great, our compassion is greater. #GiveTheGiftOfLife #MinorityDonorAwarenessMonth #OrganDonor #MulticulturalDonors #MinorityDonors #DonorForLife #MinorityDonorsMatter

May 1st marks the first day of #ALSAwarenessMonth. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing the brain to lose connection with muscles. As the disease progresses, a person will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. There is currently no cure for ALS. You can learn more about #ALS from The ALS Association at https://lnkd.in/gz-W9kcd #ALSMonth #LouGehrigsDisease #Accessibility #ALSAwareness

April is #AlcoholAwarenessMonth. Chronic heavy alcohol use and a recent increase in alcohol consumption can lead to a life-threatening alcohol-associated liver disorder known as alcohol-associated hepatitis (#AH). Watch this video to hear a patient’s diagnosis and treatment journey: https://lnkd.in/ebVfQ3Mh

Educate yourself on Cardiovascular health! - Women or men, its important!! In February we go Red for Women! Friday February 2nd is National Go Red For Women day, to bring awareness to cardiovascular disease the eradication of heart disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women. For too long, heart disease and stroke have taken the lives of the women we love. https://lmsafe.co/x8L9

February 29th is World #rarediseaseday2024 - a day for coming together to raise awareness for all rare diseases. Glut1 Deficiency UK advocates for one of the many rare and complex diseases affecting families worldwide. While everyone’s rare disease journey is unique, there are also common struggles, and collaboratively we can work together to drive research and understanding of these individually rare conditions. That’s why we’re so pleased to be part of the UK Rare Epilepsies Together network. Stronger together, we strive to improve outcomes for individuals and families through evidencing common unmet needs in diagnostics, treatment and care, to improve overall quality of life. See https://ukret.co.uk/ #RareDiseaseDay #ShowYourStripes #StrongerTogether Arthur's Quest Batten Disease Family Association Behçet's UK CASK Research UK CDKL5 UK Coalition to Cure CHD2 Creld1 Warriors Parents and Loved ones Cure GRIN Foundation Dravet Syndrome UK Cure DHDDS Ring20 Research & Support UK CIO The Rory Belle Foundation SCN8A UK & Ireland SYNGAP1 - United Kingdom Families The Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome Foundation Timothy Syndrome Alliance Tuberous Sclerosis Association UK Infantile Spasms Trust- UKIST Epilepsy Action Epilepsy Scotland HOPE for Paediatric Epilepsy: London Matthew's Friends Ketogenic Therapies charity Unique - Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group Young Epilepsy Epilepsy Sparks Ring20 Research & Support UK CIO

Today, I wanted to inform everyone of the situation that I am in. The medical issues are as follows, Renal Failure, Kidney Failure, Liver Failure, Stomach Ulcers, Varicies in the throat and stomach, Low Red Blood Count, low hemoglobin count, Stage 2 Diabetes, Anemia, and Severe open wound on my leg with the tendon showing. https://lnkd.in/gw2sRiA6

📢 Here's something I want to spread the word about if you could please share. Having once had the challenging role of donor recruitment, I have heard feedback from younger donors first hand: ❓ Why are you still sending paper invites through the post? ❓ Why are sessions in drafty village halls? ❓ Why are we given weak orange or tea and club biscuits? I know it has modernised systems in recent years, but let's face it, it isn't a very modern or (dare I use the word at my age?!) 'cool' environment. **Honestly, I don't mean to be negative to the organisation, I love them still!** I do ❤️ you NHS Blood and Transplant! A drastic shake up in session planning with a brand and marketing update would make a big difference in attracting a new generation of #blooddonors. Many tend to donate only because their parents or other family member does, but for many, they have no family or community influencers making it the norm. It's such an important thing to do. It really can save lives and improve lives. As an altruistic act of generosity to others, it is so easy - you don't have to run miles or climb 3 mountains in 24 hours, you don't need special skills, you don't even need to commit more than an hour! Any gender, any race could be an eligible blood (or blood product) donor. If you can, please find a local session or donor centre and give your gift. (there are crisps if you don't like club biscuits 😁) #savelives #donateblood #blooddonation #nhs

It's been almost 3 years since I was invited on The Daily Beast podcast to talk about insulin accessibility for people with type 1 diabetes in the U.S. As things have gotten a little bit better since 2020 (Eli Lilly cut the list price of their generic insulin lispro and their name brand Humalog in 2023), there are still obstacles and financial barriers for people with type 1 diabetes who want to maintain a healthy A1C. A healthy A1C and a good time in range percentage are what truly matters, as people with type 1 often suffer in later adulthood from retinopathy, renal failure, and more. Type 1 is typically diagnosed in early to late childhood and is incurable. Your entire life, from the moment you are diagnosed, you need to monitor your blood sugar as close as possible to ensure you don't go blind or end up on dialysis later on. Analog insulin access is only the beginning of the conversation; to increase life expectancy of people with this type 1, we need more access to devices like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. The future of T1D is here! It's just a matter of getting those devices into the hands of people that need it at a reasonable price... #insulin4all #insulin #type1diabetes #diabetes #autoimmunedisease

A post shared by one of my contacts (see below) about a recent drive for blood donors inspired me to finally share my own experience with blood donation, something I've intended to do for a while! I've been a blood donor for several years, and I want to commend their personalised approach to reaching out to me. As someone with O negative blood, I know that my donation can be given to anyone in an emergency. The NHS Blood and Transplant keeps me informed (regularly but not too regularly) about low supplies or when they're in my vicinity, subtly nudging me to schedule or keep an appointment. After each donation, I receive a heartfelt thank-you message, even detailing which hospital benefited from my contribution. During the 20 minutes of donation, I reflect on the impact and diversity of those around me, and a week later, a simple text informs me about the hospital that has received my blood. I obviously can't verify this but the small gesture 🏥 makes a significant difference and continues my ongoing support. A few take aways here in terms of communication. - Personalise messaging as much as possible - Don't hound people - less is more - Something small can make all the difference When I've mentioned giving blood to people there are lots of people who have never tried it. If that is you, why not make 2024 the year you give go! #blooddonation #makeadifference