ICW: Jenica Leah
It’s National Blood Week here in the UK, and at the start of it I sat down with Jenica Leah, a sickle cell champion who is campaigning to get more Black people donating blood. 55% of Black donors carry the all imporrant Ro blood subtype that is crucial for treating the majority of sickle cell patients. That number drops to only 2.4% in other ethnic groups. We chatted about her experiences growing up, her campaign, and why blood donation really is life or death.
Brianna (TBP)
Hi, Jenica
Jenica
Hi!
Brianna (TBP)
How are you doing?
Jenica
Good. Thank you. How are you?
Brianna (TBP)
Yeah, not too bad thanks, suffering with hay fever. But other than that! I don't know what is in the air this year, but they are like, they're super sized, there is something going on.
Jenica
I know! It's like I'm seeing things floating around, like physically floating.
Brianna (TBP)
Literally it’s so mad! Okay, so let's get right into it, because I am very interested to hear about all the incredible work that you're doing. I've read through the press release, but I think I would rather kind of just hear you explain your story from, you know, living with sickle cell as a young child all the way through till now and the My Friend Jen campaign.
Jenica
Okay, gosh. Um, so I was born with sickle cell. My parents knew there was a possibility that I could have had it, because they found out that they both carried the trait when they had my older brother. So they knew there was a possibility that, you know, there's a one in four chance for every pregnancy that a child could be born with sickle cell. And lo and behold, I was the lucky one in four. I was born with sickle cell. But growing up, I had a reasonably normal life, I did spend a lot of time kind of in and out of hospital. I think my first kind of hospital admission in sickle cell crisis was when I was six months old, I had pneumonia.
Brianna (TBP)
Wow, so young.
Jenica
I was having a crisis, my mum says I just wouldn't stop crying. So kind of from there, it was just like an ongoing thing. And when I became kind of aware of, you know, being different, so to speak, I didn't really know what sickle cell was. So I would be told I couldn't do things which could be seen as triggers - that could trigger a sickle cell crisis. So things like being quite dehydrated, being out in cold weather, like, being over exhausted, and not getting enough rest, or a sudden change in temperatures from hot to cold. These things can trigger what's known as a sickle cell crisis, which is one of the most common symptoms of sickle cell. I don’t know if you know what sickle cell is or?
Brianna (TBP)
I do but if you'd like to explain it, because I know that perhaps some ofmy followers might not.
Jenica
Yes. So sickle cell it's, it affects the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. So instead of our red blood cells being normal, round and squishy and able to flow through the blood vessels, our red blood cells have our hemoglobin and our red blood cells is kind of almost deficient. And because of that, it means that our red blood cells change shape. So instead of being round, they become hard, sticky, halfmoon shaped or shaped like a letter C. And when this happens, the cells can more easily clumped together, they block the veins and arteries and stuff and actually restrict the oxygen from going into that part of the body. And that just leads to like severe excruciating pain, like you've never imagined, as well as all the other kinds of complications the lack of oxygen can cause to the body. So the painful episodes known as crisis, they're the most common symptom that most people who have sickle cell will get. So when I was kind of, you know, getting the crises or trying to avoid getting crises there were certain things that I wasn't allowed to do. So things like playing out at school when it was, you know, in the winter months, or like going to swim in during the winter. All of those things, my parents kind of tried to kind of restrict me from doing as much as possible. So that it didn’t lead to me ending up being in pain and in hospital, etc. And I suppose you could say sometimes it would - when you don't, when you tell a child they can't do something, it's almost like punishment. You know, I did kind of sometimes feel quite isolated, quite like not understanding why I couldn't be like everyone else, but still trying to just, you know, go by the by and live life as I could.
Brianna (TBP)
Yeah. Absolutely.
Jenica
I think for me, when I got to secondary school, I was kind of just thinking, Okay, it's going to be a fresh start. I'm not going to tell anyone about sickle cell, and I’ll just try and like, you know, be like everyone else. And then about three years into secondary school when I was about 13, year nine - I got really, really poorly over like one of the summer holidays. And it turned out that I actually had a stroke.
Brianna (TBP)
Oh, wow.
Jenica
So it's a common complication for children under the age of 15 who have sickle cell, actually, because of what happens to our blood cells and the reaction caused by a lack of oxygen going into the brain. So I had a stroke.
Brianna (TBP)
So you say you got sick over the course of the summer? Was it - were you aware that you'd had the stroke when it actually happened?
Jenica
Not at the time no, it was queried. My mom just noticed that I was quite unwell. And she noticed the droopiness in my face, And I wasn't able to speak, I lost, temporarily lost the use of the left side of my body. But thankfully, kind of regained all of my mobility, there’s a slight droop in my face, but you cannot really tell. So it was queried as stroke because they know that this is obviously a common complication that can happen in children. But there are a number of tests that they have to do to determine exactly if it was that. So I kind of was in hospital, recovered from hospital, got discharged, went for all these tests, and it came back that it was actually a stroke. And so because of that I was actually put on blood transfusions every four weeks. So that is one of the ways that they will treat sickle cell it kind of will prevent another stroke from happening. So when we have a blood transfusion, we're being topped up with new healthy red blood cells. So it limits the amount of sickle cells that my body will naturally produce, you know, trying to restrict any more further complications from taking place. So I was put on blood transfusions every four weeks, for almost three years. That was kind of my first experience of that. Usually people that have had a stroke or had serious complications will just continue on blood transfusions, but I am, dare I say quite the headstrong patient. I didn’t really want this to be my life and you know, wanted to try and come off them and see if I could survive and see, you know, if I could just try and lead as normal a life as possible. Which has always been my thing with sickle cell. Unfortunately, I would say, stroke was just the first thing. So one of the things with sickle cell is that even though there's the painful episodes, which we know is crisis, which is really common, there are so many other complications that can happen as a result of having sickle cell because of the constant lack of oxygen, haemoglobin in our bodies, which all of our organs need. So it can lead to things like blindness and organ damage, lung disease, or heart failure, all kinds of different things. I have had quite a few complications. So I had to have my gallbladder removed when I was like 24. I've had complications with my liver not working properly, I've got queried chronic lung disease at the moment, because of frequent kind of crises that have taken place in my lungs known as acute chest syndrome. And I've also had issues with my hip bone. So I had to have a hip replacement when I was 25. And that, again, due to sickle cell, so the restriction of oxygen throughout the body meant that the top of my hip bones weren't getting enough blood and oxygen, so they were kind of just wearing away.
Brianna (TBP)
Wow. It's so fascinating. I mean, I think people know about sickle cell, but I think all the really understand is that it's very painful when you have a crisis. I don't think people know the extent of what this can do to your body. That's unbelievable. I'm gobsmacked that you are here talking to me and wanting to make a difference when you've been through all of that. That's such strength.
Jenica
Thank you. It's hard. But this is, I think this is my reasons why because sometimes it does get - it's not frustrating. I understand that like, we have to start somewhere when it comes to awareness. Sometimes it's almost trying to feed people with the simplest information like this is sickle cell. This is sickle cell in a nutshell. But when you start to unpack the layers and all the different things that can happen - that have happened - it's a fatal condition, like, I’ve lost friends, I’ve lost loved ones. Yeah, it's, there's a lot more to it than what a lot of people think. So yeah, so I've had my fair share of complications, and like going through the list and ticking off all these things that can happen as a result of having sickle cell. But I think it's one of those things that it's almost like I've been able to turn all that pain and all my experiences into kind of like my passion. So I wrote my children's book, after having my hip replacement. And kind of a couple of years after having my hip replacement, I kind of just felt more free, almost. So leading up to it, my pain was so bad that I was literally kind of taking morphine, like, regularly three times a day, I was on so much heavy painkillers, I don't know how I was functioning. And I, I couldn't walk, I was using crutches and I just had zero quality of life. Yeah, because of the excessive amount of medication and opioids that I was taking, that took a toll on my liver and I was just constantly in and out of hospitals. So my thought process was if I get this hip, this new hip as a call it my new hip- then I won’t have to take painkillers, if I don't take painkillers, my liver will calm down, and if my liver calms down, then I won't be so jaundice, and everything will just kind of go back to being as healthy as I could be. And that was actually the result, like the hip replacement was successful, the pain was gone. Like, I immediately noticed the difference. I was able to walk, I was able to wear heels again, which was amazing, I love heels. And I think after, you know, like a year or two, I kind of just realized that you know what, I'm, I'm just still so able to do these things. And I wish that I had known. Sometimes you feel limited by what people tell you. I was told what I wouldn't be able to do as a child. You can't go outside, you can't get cold, you can't do this. And actually I can I just have to be more careful and more mindful of what I do. But that was kind of what motivated me to write my first book, which is called A Little Different. They're all called My Friend Jen. Yeah, the first one is called A Little Different. And that was literally just about, you know, kind of being different, but still being able to do everything that everyone can do. And I, I wanted to write a children's book, because I just feel that as a child - I just saw sickle cell as something quite negative. And so I wish that - if I had my books, when I was a child, I feel like I probably would have had a different kind of childhood and upbringing, and probably been a bit more confident and more open to kind of what was happening and stuff like that, instead of trying to kind of pretend that nothing was wrong.
Brianna (TBP)
I think it's, it's very interesting, because I think as parents and as adults, when you see children, your instinct is just wrap them in bubble wrap, wrap them in cotton wool. Just tell them they can't, because if they're not doing it, then the potential trigger is removed. I grew up with disabilities, not sickle cell, but it was the same sort of thing. Like, you can't do this, you can't do that, if you do this it’ll cause pain. And it's only as you become an adult that you realise, actually, if someone had spoken to me a little bit differently as a child/teenager, and actually explained things to me, I'd have felt better about myself. And I think what you're doing is so important, like everything that you’re doing is so important, but very much the children's books, I think are an incredible tool.
Jenica
Yeah, because I mean, like you said, it just takes someone to explain things to you a bit different. And, you know, when we do come into our own, like you said, you've experienced a similar sort of thing. You realise that actually, there's so many things that I could have done. If you guys just took the time to kind of - but at the same time, I think as parents they just want to protect you like you’re their responsibility. So I understand it, but I feel like that, you know, there's a different way that we can still kind of instil confidence and more self esteem into children that have like disabilities or that might be dealing with different things in their life.
Brianna (TBP)
And the books are probably great tools for the parents as well, like, especially parents like your parents who - your brother didn't have sickle cell?
Jenica
No, no.
Brianna (TBP)
So you were the first experience that they had of having to deal with this. Parents like that would benefit so much from reading your books. It's almost a learning guide for them, as well as for the kids.
Jenica
Definitely, that's what I said, I always recommend, like, you know, the parents can read it once - It’s rhyming, it's simple. Like, you'll probably remember the words after reading it once. But it's good for them as well to kind of think, you know, okay, you might have a child with sickle cell, they might, they may be a little different, there may be things that you can just do for them to help them lead a normal life, but they can still do everything. And I speak to parents, I know parents now that have children with sickle cell. And, you know, they they say like, they confidently say, like, they don't want to stop them from doing everything. They, they send them swimming, they let them play outside, they let them experience snow and things. You know, it's amazing, it’s childhood, it's a part of growing up. Which is beautiful. So that was my motivation for the children's books. And from there - I wanted my books to kind of just be accessible to more people living with sickle cell. I wrote the books, the books were doing really well. But that there are places where sickle cell is more prevalent, that perhaps they weren't accessible. So places like Nigeria, The Gambia, mainly Africa, Nigeria I think has the highest prevalence of people with sickle cell. So I then started to do some kind of small fundraisers. And I did a book donation project in Gambia first, and then in Nigeria. I did one in Jamaica as well recently. Just so that we're able to give these books to those children where things are a bit different over there as well. They are kind of, they're predicted to not live past a certain age, and they're told that it's bad. And they're told that it's going to stop them. So that was really kind of important for me to try and give those children access to something positive. And I think everything is kind of just - everything I do, it's kind of motivated by my own experiences, but in helping young people. So I used to work with sickle cell society. I then became a youth mentor at a charity in Birmingham called Oscar Birmingham, working with children and young people that live with sickle cell and thalassaemia and I write a lot. I started off writing anyway, like blogging, and it was just kind of my way of expressing how I was feeling when I started blogging, and yeah, now I kind of blog for some companies, and obviously I’ve got my books, and I do a lot of speaking, working with the NHS, just getting the message out there. Because, like you said, it's, there's so much to it that a lot of people don't know, even the medical professionals. Healthcare professionals, nurses, doctors, we get into a&e, and it's like, because I'm asking for morphine, I'm suddenly addicted to it and suspicious when I know how serious my pain is. So there's so much that I want to do, I still feel like I'm not doing enough, but I'm trying to do as much as I can at the same time.
Brianna (TBP)
So speaking of all the stuff you are doing, how did #changetherecords come about?
Jenica
So change the records is something that I have been working on. The idea came about in 2017. So my friend and I, who both have kind of had, I suppose life changing moments where we've needed blood to save our lives. Mine was when I was 16. I had a sickle cell crisis in my lungs, my lung collapsed. I needed a blood exchange, and I got the exchange and then it was just like do you know what, it's 50/50. My parents were told it's 50/50. We don't know what's going to happen. And thankfully, that blood exchange actually changed my life. Following on from that I had a best friend who passed away 10 years ago in 2012. He had a number of different complications with sickle cell, but at that time, there wasn't a lot of research around kind of how, you know, you can have blood to fix problems. But there are also so many side effects that can come from receiving blood. Yeah. And what was happening to him was he was actually reacting to the blood because it wasn't as close a match as it could be. If you get blood that is not as close a match as possible to your own, it can lead to some serious side effects that can become fatal. Most people know about the main blood groups A, B, O etc. Within those there are different subgroups that are very specific to our ethnicities. So someone who's black, it's more likely, they're actually 10 times more likely to carry the same subtype blood group as myself. For people that have sickle cell now one of the most common treatments, they're now trying to get everybody on blood transfusions, or exchanges regularly. Because they’ve noticed that this actually kind of keeps our up haemoglobin levels up, gives people more energy, a better quality of life, and that kind of stuff. So that became like, that was kind of being put into the NHS and within our sickle cell community around 2017. So we decided to do a blood donation day in Birmingham. The donor center in Birmingham is smack bang in the middle of the city center, it's really hard to get access to there's no parking, it's just very clinical. And when we did the session, we also did a questionnaire to find out if people would come again and stuff. And a lot of the feedback was that it was just difficult to get to. They didn't see any representation in terms of nurses, things like that. So I kind of came up with this idea that, you know, we need to be able to do this somewhere in the community, where people are going to feel more comfortable to come out and give blood. So it took me about three years, back and forth with the NHSBT, to get the legacy center approved as a blood donation venue, which they did last year. And then this whole campaign is just to kind of change the records of the amount of black people that donate blood. So I was doing some research in the 2020 to 2021, NHS blood and transplant kind of research papers on sickle cell, thalassaemia , blood and all of that kind of stuff. And he actually showed how many children rely on blood transfusions every month. And it also showed how many people donate blood, and how many black people donate blood. And so from those records, and doing the calculations, I was able to work out that only 12,633 Black or mixed race people actually give blood, which is 1.5%. And we need to change the records to increase the numbers. So I just kind of came up with it one day, and I was like, let's do this. I got in contact with the right people at the NHSBT and they said that they would support us with kind of hosting a blood donation session. Yeah. And we just kind of roped in Birmingham, I would say,
Both
(Laughs)
Brianna (TBP)
The whole city.
Jenica
The whole city! Yeah. All of the small businesses that I know kind of donated money so that we've been able to kind of print leaflets, get some ads, get some social media work done, you know, just just kind of try and create a whole buzz around the blood donation because it's not - I don't think that the reason black people don't donate enough is because they don't want to.
Brianna (TBP)
I don't either.
Jenica
I just think that we're very much like - we know what we know, you only know what you know, and what you don't know, it just kind of doesn't concern you. But I feel like if we're able to get these people in the right place and explain to them, Look, this is what's happening to our community. This is how you can help our community let's come together and let's help them. I'm so convinced that everybody will come out to support people, you know, and it's not just those, yeah, people living with sickle cell require regular blood transfusions. But there's also cases in medical emergencies, you know, pregnancies. There's already so many kinds of research that show that we're, as black women we’re, you know, treated less than, we’re ignored. Like there's just so many areas that I just think this is really important. So it's just trying to get a sense of community together. Like across in Birmingham mainly but just across the UK as well, because people who live with sickle cell are everywhere. Yeah.
Brianna (TBP)
So, do you know how many people would need to donate blood for someone that has to have regular transfusions to get those regular transfusions. When I spoke to Aliesha at NHSBT, she was telling me a story of a guy who, for him to get the transfusions he needs for a year, 128 people need to donate blood.
Jenica
That's, that's, that's crazy. I do know that for example, like the last blood exchange that I had to have I required 10 bags of red blood cells. Each blood donation, like if you go and donate blood, one blood donation is split into three in terms of platelets, plasma and red blood cells. But I need 10 bags of red blood. So I don't know how many people that is, but I know that one donation can save three lives. But yeah, it's only a percentage of red blood cells that that comes from that donation. So I believe Aleisha, when she says like, you know, it’ll probably take 100 and something for people to get the amount of blood transfusions that they need.
Brianna (TBP)
And if we're saying it's like, for his whole year, like for him to get an extra year of blood transfusions is 128 people. And we've only got - What did you say 12,633? It’s nowhere near enough.
Jenica
I know, I'm in a lot of sickle cell groups. And I know, at the moment for some people that their blood transfusions, when they’re due, they’re being extended because there's a lack of blood, there's a blood shortage.
Brianna (TBP)
There’s a blood shortage. And that's only going to get worse if we don't get more people donating because sickle cell is the fastest growing genetic condition in the UK.
Jenica
More and more children being born with the condition and blood transfusions now - I think over the years of research, because sickle cell is quite a young disease in terms of the amount of research that's you know, that's been funded to go into it. Yeah, things like blood transfusions and stuff, I feel like only now they're noticing how it can benefit. And they've, they've come to that conclusion that if we are able to start blood transfusions for children at a younger age, it gives them a better chance of living longer, because there's less likely to going to be organ damage, bone damage, or the kinds of stuff that, you know, a lot of mature people living with sickle cell are experiencing now. Yeah. So with it being the fastest growing you know, the need is more and more.
Brianna (TBP)
So what is your goal with #changetherecords, it starts on this Sunday, right? Sunday 19th? And when does that run till?
Jenica
So the campaign, we've given ourselves a year. My goal was to get 1000 new blood donors just through the change the records campaign. But I mean, if through the campaign, we can get more then that's great. And also, I think, to try and just remind those people that have donated in the past to keep donating regularly, that’s also the thing. So our plan is, we've got this session happening on Sunday, which is the 19th of June, men can donate more often than women, I think men it’s every three months, women it’s every four or something. So we just had this idea that three times a year, June, October, and again in February, if we can hold these sessions at a community location. So when you come on Sunday, you know the next time you're going to be donating again is October, yeah. So come in October, bring someone with you. So every time you come, we bring an extra person. So we've got the regular donors staying regular and not having to be reminded all the time. We've got them bringing new people on board every time. So this weekend, we've got I think 80 slots. By October, I just want that to be doubled, like doubling every time if everyone's bringing someone with them and encouraging more people to donate. And just keeping the consistency for people already donating and trying to get as much new blood donors as possible, which we have so far. I've done a couple of events and stuff in Birmingham, and people that have previously said like absolutely not have been like “Where can I sign?” I'm looking forward to Sunday. And I think that if I can just have more of these important conversations. I think we can make a difference.
Brianna (TBP)
I think you can. So where can people sign? If I post this and people are like, yeah, I want to sign up. Where can people go to register?
Jenica
They can go to myfriendjen.co.uk I think we've actually this week, put it on our homepage. So if you go to the My Friend Jen website, myfriendjen.co.uk, there's all the information about the campaign and there's also a form that you can fill in, and once you complete that form you'll get all the details of how to register to donate blood. You can register to come to Sunday session, I'm not even sure if - I think it might be full now, but we're actually just saying to people look, even if you can't come on Sunday, because we're full, go to a donor center anywhere in the UK, like, go and donate blood. And then the next session will be sometime in October, we haven't got the date yet. And we're hoping for October that we can have sessions across the UK. So not just in Birmingham, but maybe, you know, the teams down in London doing one at the Westfield and other donation centers. So we can kind of just make this a nationwide thing.
Brianna (TBP)
That would be amazing.
Jenica
That's the goal. So we'll see.
Brianna (TBP)
If there's anything I can do to help with that, like I say I've got disabilities myself. So I'm very much in touch with the local NHS teams around here. So if you wanted me to reach out, I'm down in Sussex, about potentially doing one in our area?
Jenica
Yes, that would be amazing. Well, hopefully. So after the 19th of June, we've got a meeting next week where we're going to be discussing the next date. So I'm actually just encouraging everyone to kind of complete that form on the website. Because then what we can do is just update people of what's happening, whats going on, what's the next day, this is where you can go to your local donor center. Like we're going to be having zooms we're going to be having events where we can just get people in the room and tell them this is why, you know, these are the reasons and answer people's questions as well. People have a lot of questions as well, they don't know.
Brianna (TBP)
100%. And it's quite like - if you've never done a blood before. The idea of someone literally, like draining blood from you for 15 minutes is quite scary. So if we can kind of break that fear and show people it's not that scary, I think people that can donate, will.
Jenica
I'm hoping to get as many people that’ll allow me to record them on Sunday as possible to be like, it's really easy. Yeah. And I think the reality is, if any of us were put into these emergency situations where we needed blood to save our own lives, we would 100% accept it, no matter how painful it is. Unless it's, you know, for people for religious reasons and then I understand. And also if you receive a blood transfusion now in the UK, you can't donate again. So there's also that kind of, you know, if you knew that you would want yourself to be saved, wouldn't you try and save as many people as possible while you can?
Brianna (TBP)
Whilst we're on that little topic. Do you know who can donate blood because I read that people with sickle cell trait think that they can’t but actually they can donate blood? It just can't go to someone with sickle cell?
Jenica
Yeah, so people with sickle cell trait can actually donate blood. I'm not sure if it means it can't actually go to someone with sickle cell or not. That part I'm not sure about but I know that people with the sickle cell trait can donate blood. And one of my best friends actually has the trait she donated for the first time and she found out that she's got the RO subtype. That was kind of just like, just completely amazing for her to kind of know. And my sister as well also has the trait and she donates. So you can donate if you do have the sickle cell trait. And I think that there's a lot of people that want to know, okay, if I donate though, can I make sure it goes to that person or that person that has sickle cell? And the reality is, I think, because we're so lucky to have the blood banks, we can't necessarily guarantee that okay, that's gonna go to that black person. But the reality is, if you carry that subtype, they're only going to give that to someone that needs that subtype. So you could be saving anyone's life. Like it could be a woman in pregnancy. It could be a young man in an emergency. You know, we still need blood just the same as everyone else. So we need to make sure that if it's there, and it's needed, it's there for that person. Some countries, like I think Montserrat, Nigeria, if you're having an acute sickle cell complication, and you need blood, you have to round up people to give you their bloods. There’s no blood bank. There's no we'll just order it from from the blood bank. There's none of that. So I think for some people it’s just kind of realising how lucky we are that we have a system that is in place to try and stop, you know those emergencies becoming fatal.
Brianna (TBP)
Yeah, absolutely. And then, so last question. I know you guys want to get 1000 people through your campaign - Do you know how many Black African and Black Caribbean and Mixed ethnicity black donors we need within the next year? 16,600?
Jenica
That’s it, 16,600. So I mean, I'm just gonna be like, the needle in a haystack of the amount that we need. But my hope is that if I can get 1000, and there's 16 other people out there with a goal to get 1000.
Brianna (TBP)
Exactly. And 16,000 is such a tiny number, when you think of how many of us there are in the population.
Jenica
Exactly. So when I read the stats and figures, it sometimes just make me feel a bit like, gosh, why is it seeming so hard? Just from like, being someone that lives with sickle cell, being someone that works, has worked with the NHS and is working closely with the NHSBT, and trying to do this campaign, I can see that there are just kind of these systems in place that make it difficult. I think one of the things that this campaign has also shown or highlighted, is the ways that actually the NHSBT, they're gonna have to adjust to achieve the target. You can't keep doing the same thing that you've always done and expect to get a different outcome. You guys have known that this has been an issue for the past how many years and you know, you've announced you need more black donors, and there's still no black donors, you've got to start doing things differently.
Brianna (TBP)
Yeah. We've got to tackle why Black donors are not wanting to come. And they, you know, there's obviously a lot of mistrust in the medical system for a whole heap of reasons. So things definitely need to change to tackle that.
Jenica
And they have to be willing to change some of the things that they have in place in order to - they have to think outside the box. And I think if they’re not willing to do that, we can complain as much as we want but we may not see things change, and it’ll be to our detriment. So I think I'm - one of the things I'm glad about with this campaign is that I'm actually able to sit down now at the table with some people in power to say, look, this is how difficult it has been for us just to do this one day. You've got to sort some things out. Because it hasn't been easy, I can tell you that for free. It has not been easy. But I won't sit here and like, you know, badmouth them. They're doing what they can. I get that systems are there, but they've got to think outside the box as well. So I think if all of us work together, and we've got a common goal, we can achieve it.
Brianna (TBP)
And that is the perfect message to end on!
If you’d like to find out more about blood donation, please visit NHS Blood for all the information you need. If you’d like to follow My Friend Jen, you can find their instagram here. The form to register your interest in their #ChangeTheRecords campaign can be found on their website.