Mum’s ‘excruciating’ battle with lifelong disease that requires regular blood transfusions – Nottinghamshire Live

By daniellenierenberg

Daily life can be excruciatingly painful and tiring for a West Bridgford mum suffering with a lifelong inherited blood disease.

Oyesola Oni, 37, was born with sickle cell disease and has to have eight pints of blood transfused into her body every six weeks at Nottingham City Hospital.

Sickle cell can cause serious and potentially fatal complications such as organ damage, stroke, death to bone tissue and acute chest syndrome.

People with sickle cell disease produce "unusually shaped" red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells. They can also block blood vessels.

If both parents have the gene that affects red blood cells, there's a one in four chance of each child they have being born with the disease.

I mainly get crisis pains in my ribs, legs, hips, my back and my lower abdomen. You cant describe the pain," said Oye, of West Bridgford.

"Its like something stabbing me, at other times its like something crushing my bones. Its excruciating."

The only cure for sickle cell disease is astem cell or bone marrow transplant,but they're not done very often because of the risks involved.

Her story comes as the NHS launch a call for more men to donate blood in 2020 because of a "serious imbalance" in the gender of new donors.

The mum has regular red cell transfusions for sickle cell disease after several years of her condition getting worse.

Having a secure supply of blood is particularly important for people like Mrs Oni, who receive many transfusions over their lives.

The mum to daughter Ade, 12, who does not have sickle cell, said people who donate the blood that she receives are "heroes that dont wear capes".

They give blood to someone they dont know its amazing, very selfless. Its an extraordinary thing to do and I hope more men start donating blood in the New Year," she added.

"Having the transfusions gives me so much more energy, keeps me out of hospital and allows me to spend more time with my family."

The mum said she hopes to return to work as in customer services thanks to the continued transfusions.

During 2019, 43 percent of the new donors at Nottingham Donor Centre were men.

Until the end of November, 1,203 women started donating blood in Nottingham but only 898 men.

The NHS said this is a concern because men have higher iron levels and only mens blood can be used for some transfusions and products.

Without more men starting to give blood, blood stocks will come under increasing pressure in future years, the NHS has warned.

Mike Stredder, the head of donor recruitment for NHS Blood and Transplant, added: All our donors are amazing. But we need more men to start donating blood in Nottingham during the New Year.

"Mens blood can be used in extraordinary, lifesaving ways, but we dont have enough new male donors coming forward.

"This is not about recruiting as many donors as possible its about getting the right gender mix.

If you cant find an appointment right away dont worry your blood will do extraordinary things if you donate in a few weeks instead."