Kamarie Crawford faces an ongoing battle with Sickle Cell

September is Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month.

While the month itself is almost over, patients living with the disease face a daily battle.

On the outside, Kamarie Crawford is a normal 21-year-old college student who enjoys playing sports and spending time with her friends.

But once a month she spends her day in the hospital receiving blood transfusions to combat sickle cell anemia: a blood disease that causes abnormally shaped blood cells.

It also causes anemia, pain, swelling of the hands and feet, and vision problems.

“These days are just pretty stressful because when I get blood, it's fine before because I'm used to it,” Crawford said. “But it’s more the afterward where I feel a little out of control or physically drained.”

She was born with the disease, which affects nearly 100,000 people across the country; and she shares a diagnosis with her younger sister Kyra.

“We both say it's kind of calming. Because even though we have our mom who has been there for us from day one, it's kind of nice to have that one person who can 100% understand what you're going through, how you're feeling, or what you need right now. Crawford explained. “We’re both going through this.”

According to the CDC, sickle cell disease affects one in 365 Black people.

Of those, one in 13 black babies are born with it, but this disease doesn't just affect the black community.

“These days, sickle cell anemia can come from almost anywhere,” said Dr. Melissa Frei-Jones, medical director of the South Texas Sickle Cell Center.

She added there is no sure way to say how many people are living with the disease, but for patients like Kami, blood donations are vital to ease their pain.

“On average, we would need 500 to 600 donations per day coming through all of our donor centers and our mobile outreaches,” said Audra Taylor, president of South Texas Blood and Tissue. “That would be a condition that needs to be ensured that all of our patients in South Texas, and particularly here in San Antonio, have the blood products they need at the right time.”

Bone marrow transplants are also an option, but that is currently out of the question for Kami and her sister.

She said she knows her limits and reminds herself daily that she is not her illness.

“Even if you can’t see it, just know that it’s there and that there are people all over the world who deal with it every day,” Crawford said. “Just try to be more understanding and be willing to educate yourself on these important topics.”