A sickle cell warrior has shared an emotional account of how her body feels after undergoing a blood exchange transfusion, where her own blood was replaced with AA (normal) blood. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), she described the experience as transformative, expressing disbelief at how different her body feels.
Warrior describes feeling 'lithe and supple' after transfusion
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, posted a video of herself dancing and wrote: 'They sucked all of the sickle cell blood out of my body and filled me with AA blood and lowk I feel like crying a bit… like there’s no way this is how yall actually feel on a regular my body feels so lithe and supple… i can breathe… it didn’t hurt much when i stand omgggg.'
She continued: 'It litch feels like I got a new body in a way I can’t recall the last time I felt this physically good before like yes I’m in pain and all but pain is a constant it’s the everything else I don’t feel like a skeleton on legs, omg I just noticed I’m not even dizzy wtf.'
Emotional reflection on lifelong struggle
The warrior also reflected on the emotional toll of living with sickle cell disease, noting that the transfusion made her realize how much she had been pushing through. 'I feel like crying cause I’m always so hard on myself believing that I’m overreacting and not trying hard enough/being lazy (doesn’t help that my family says it too) but now seeing the difference it’s so clear omg I’m such a fighter how the heck did I get anything done before.'
She ended her thread with a plea for blood donations, writing: 'If you see this tweet go donate some blood! You’re really helping the lives of countless ppl myself included.'
Impact of blood exchange transfusion in sickle cell disease
Blood exchange transfusion is a procedure used to treat severe complications of sickle cell disease, such as acute chest syndrome or stroke. It involves removing the patient's sickle-shaped red blood cells and replacing them with healthy donor red blood cells (AA blood), which can carry oxygen more effectively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular transfusions can reduce the risk of stroke in children with sickle cell disease by up to 90%.
The warrior's testimony highlights the profound physical and emotional relief that can come from this treatment, as well as the constant challenges faced by those living with sickle cell disease. Her call for blood donations underscores the ongoing need for donors, especially from diverse backgrounds to match patients with rare blood types.
