SUPPORT SUPPORT SUPPORT :)

Hello long time no talk! Though there is only a small group of you guys on my page I really feel obligated to keep up with my posts and I have not been doing a good job with that. I do apologize. But you guys aren't sending me any questions or wanting to know anything and honestly its getting me discouraged :(. Just to catch you up, the past few months have been hectic. I had been doing so well in terms of not being hospitalized (it had been about 4 months or so which was a long time compared to the frequency I had been experiencing prior to that hospitalization hiatus) and then I got really sick and ended up being rushed to FMC. I was in the ICU for a little over 2 weeks and then was in a regular room. I spent 29 days in FMC hospital in which I received 22 (TWENTY-TWO!!!) blood transfusions. I got out and by the next day I was following up and my doctor had me rushed to BG hospital where I spent roughly 30 (THIRTY!!!) days and had 7 more blood transfusions. So I get out and over the course of the next day and a half my breathing get progressively worse and I develop a congested cough. Go to get it checked out and the doc says "Congratulations you have pneumonia". I was at 77% oxygen on room air (which is really low) so he had me rushed back to BG hospital, where I spent 6 (not so bad) days and got 3 more blood transfusions. So in the course of about 2months and 1 week straight (pretty much) of hospitalization I received 32 blood transfusions, gained another diagnosis (pulmonary hypertension, if you have some advice or are dealing with it pls contact me)and learned my blood is stubborn and refuses to stay up and stable. All the while I just kept thinking we (YES WE not just ME lol) have to change the face of sickle cell. 20,000 people die from SCD each year and yet there are still NO commercials, NO billboards, NO resources, NO media coverage, NO consistent fundraising or acknowledgement. It gets swept under the rug like it is not even relevant. If ONE person dies that one too many, and you mean to tell me 20 THOUSAND die and we don't even get put on the map. Ironic that its a minority frequented disease (not turning this into the color game but you have to admit the reality of the situation). There's more support for things that don't even happen in America or for diseases that only affect 1% of the population. So I want to really get this advocacy initiative up and running. I'm talking FREQUENT BLOGS that start dialogue and gets following. I want to develop loyal followers who are willing to support and become sickle cell soldiers whether they have the disease or not. VIDEOS of how we get treated (or mistreated) in hospitals. RECORDINGS of a crisis beginning to end. INTERVIEWS with sicklers and medical personnel. PERFORMANCE POEMS that raise awareness. WE DESERVE TO LIVE TOO and to have a BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE and CHANCE at survival. So PLEASE tell your family and friends and classmates and colleagues (EVEN STRANGERS) about this blog BLOODLINES, post the link up on your personal social networks to share and promote it. SUBSCRIBE and FRIEND me on youtube. My page/channel is SweetVenom07. Find me on FACEBOOK and friend me (Jasmine Bailey). FOLLOW me on twitter @scdsoldier. ASK questions, personal or scientific in nature. Start he dialogue, keep it going. Keep promoting and spreading the links and pushing for this. Not just for me or just for yourself but for the people who don't have the courage to speak up or don't know the words to say or most of all for the one's who've lost the ability to have a VOICE at all because they've LOST THEIR LIFE. Please!!! Below, I'm going to post a link to all of my social networks so you can do your part and help. Thank you :)

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=520574714
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetVenom07?feature=mhee
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/scdsoldier

**Now there is no excuse, there are the links. Tell me what you want to see, what you want to hear, know or talk about and I'll get on it.**