Black Blood Heals

Alaysha is a mom of two busy, happy, boys. In many ways her life is like that of most moms: juggling work and running around after her little kids. But she knows how precious these family moments really are, as both boys are now in recovery from a serious blood disease that was cured by a blood stem cell transplant. In this episode of NMDP Black Blood Heals, we hear her story.  Alaysha tells us ab...

In 2018, Lois went for a routine physical exam. The next day she unexpectedly received a phone call from her doctor telling her she had an extremely low white blood count. Further tests over the next few days confirmed her diagnosis: Lois had leukemia.  In this episode of NMDP Black Blood Heals, Lois walks us through her cancer diagnosis and the blood stem cell transplant that saved her life—thank...

Having your child diagnosed with a serious disease is a parent’s worst nightmare. But if it happens to you, you want to know that your child is in safe hands, being cared for by an expert medical team. In this episode of NMDP Black Blood Heals, we talk to Margo Rollins, MD, a pediatric hematologist oncologist, about childhood cancer and blood disorders.  Dr. Rollins discusses how blood cancers and...

Altonet joined the donor registry as a university student and years later received the call that would change her life. She was a blood stem cell donor match for someone in need of transplant.  In this episode, Altonet shares her donation experience and how she became a true supporter of blood stem cell donation—which led her to working for NMDP.  Altonet is passionate about adding more Black and...

Life wasn’t always easy for 12-year-old Kelsey. Born with sickle cell disease, she had her first sickle cell crisis when she was just 11 months old. Throughout her childhood she had more than 35 hospital stays and approximately 25 blood transfusions. Even when she wasn’t in hospital, Kelsey had to manage pain, fatigue and reduced mobility. Kelsey found a matching blood stem cell donor and received...

On this episode of Black Blood Heals, we’re bringing back one of our all-time favorite guests, Donna! Donna is a blood stem cell transplant recipient who we featured on an episode last year with her blood stem cell donor, Tiana.  Today, Donna is celebrating being cancer-free for five years and we’re catching up with her to find out how her life has been since her blood stem cell transplant. Listen...

Why would someone refuse to donate blood stem cells once, but then accept to become a donor later? On this episode of Black Blood Heals, we talk to Jeremiah who turned down the first request he got to become a donor. In a full circle moment, he later accepted and gladly donated his blood stem cells to help save the life of a person in need.  Jeremiah explains why he first joined the NMDP Registry...

Welcome to "Black Blood Heals," the podcast that delves deep into the revolutionary world of blood stem cell therapy. Today's episode, brought to you by NMDP, explores the profound intricacies of donor-recipient matching with a special focus on the unique challenges faced by African American patients. Joining us is the esteemed Dr. Rafeek Yusuf, Director of Health Services Research...

Welcome to the Season Close Out of Black Blood Heals. In today's episode, our host, Tamara Weston, reflects on the impactful conversations and insights shared this season. She highlights the diverse range of guests, from physicians discussing the need for more diverse stem cell donors to touching stories of patients and donors.  Throughout the season, Tamara and our guests have highlighted th...

Welcome to Black Blood Heals, where we highlight the impactful stories of blood stem cell donors.  In today's episode, our host, Tamara Weston, sits down with Eboni Nash, a recent donor, to walk us through her donor journey and share insights into the experience of being a stem cell donor. Eboni joined the registry in March 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, and received the call to...

Welcome to "Black Blood Heals," the podcast spotlighting the cutting-edge advancements in treatments for inherited blood disorders. In today's pediatric-focused episode, we are honored to have Dr. Staci Arnold, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist, join our host, Tamara Weston, to discuss groundbreaking therapies reshaping the lives of young patients. Dr. Arnold brings a wealth o...

Welcome to "Black Blood Heals," where we explore the groundbreaking world of blood stem cell therapy. In today's episode, brought to you by NMDP, we are joined by Dr. Edward Ziga, an esteemed pediatric specialist in blood marrow transplant and blood stem cell therapy. Dr. Ziga provides crucial insights into the unique challenges faced by the black, latino, and black caribbean commun...

Welcome to another engaging episode of Black Blood Heals. Today, our host, Tamara Weston, is joined by Karla Dawson, the program manager on the health equity team at NMDP. They delve into the crucial topic of access to transplants and the services NMDP offers for searching patients and patients who have received transplants.  Karla provides insight into how NMDP is working to ensure equitable acce...

Welcome to another episode of Black Blood Heals. In today's show, we delve into the important work of engaging young people in joining the blood stem cell donor registry.  Our host, Tamara Weston, sits down with Armani Oliver, a sophomore from Morehouse College and an intern at NMDP, to discuss his efforts to inspire his fellow classmates to join the registry.  They explore the challenges, su...

Welcome to Black Blood Heals, a groundbreaking podcast exploring the world of blood stem cell therapy. In today's episode, sponsored by NMDP, we shine a spotlight on the pressing need for African American men to join the donor registry. Joining us is the esteemed Dr. Jason Payne, an Assistant Professor/Pediatric Hematologist at Morehouse Medical School, whose passion for beating sickle cell d...

Welcome back to "Black Blood Heals." with host Tamara Weston.  In today's episode, we dive into the critical world of stem cell donation and transplantation. Our esteemed guest, Dr. Brandon Blue, a hematologist-oncologist, brings his invaluable insights to the table as we unpack the crucial role of HLA markers in finding stem cell donor matches, the urgent need for increased African...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals. This week your host Tamara Weston explores the inspiring story of Donna and Tiana. Tiana, a selfless stem cell donor from Ohio, shares her journey of joining the registry and becoming the life-saving match for Donna, who faced the challenges of myelofibrosis. Initially, Donna struggled with the complexities of her diagnosis, but her sister's proactive decisi...

In today’s episode you’ll be joining Tamara Weston as she discusses the mental preparation required to become a member of the stem cell registry and the potential consequences of choosing not to go forward with a stem cell transplant when you are called to donate. Joining Tamara this week is Caitlyn Squire, a Donor Services Social Worker at Be The Match.  Caitlyn’s role was created in 2019 to help...

Imagine being the mother of three children with a life threatening disease. A disease that doesn’t care about age, time or place. How do you bottle the strength, the faith and the will to beat a disease that doesn’t fight fair? Today Tamara Weston is joined by Millapar Dahn, Founder and CEO of MTS Sickle Cell Foundation Inc and the mother of three daughters suffering from sickle cell disease. Get...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals. This week your host Tamara Weston is joined by Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) survivor and Be The Match advocate, Jermaine Reid. It’s been 13 years since Jermaine was diagnosed with AML and treated with a bone marrow transplant.  In 2010, he had a feeling that he needed to go to the doctor, and it was this decision that saved his life. Throughout this episode you’l...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals by Be The Match. This week, your host Tamara Weston is joined by Stephanie Lerach, senior immunogenic specialist at Be The Match. Stephanie and her team work with Be The Match to help transplant centers find the best matches for searching patients. You’re going to want to get a pen and paper ready because this episode is going to dive into the technicalities of HL...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals with your host, Tamara Weston. This week Tamara is joined by Jocelyn Thompson, an advocacy specialist with Be The Match. In this episode you’ll get a chance to learn more about the government relationships that Be The Match has formed with local and federal lawmakers, and why those relationships are so important for protecting donor’s rights and furthering the res...

This week on Black Blood Heals, Tamara Weston is joined by Constance Benson 10 years after the bone marrow transplant that saved her life and cured her of sickle cell anemia. Choosing to receive the bone marrow transplant wasn’t an easy decision for Constance. She had spent her whole life thus far dealing with her pain and with her disease. So much of her identity was wrapped up in sickle cell ane...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals. This week Tamara Weston is joined by Jessica Henry, manager of the Biorepository Services at Be the Match. Today they are talking about what happens once you swab and send your sample back to Be the Match. When you hear the names Henrietta Lacks or Tuskegee Experiment, what does that mean to you? Those are names that for generations have been passed down within t...

Welcome back to Black Blood Heals, this week your host Tamara Weston is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Stenger, a pediatrician with further training in hematology-oncology (blood cancer and blood and marrow transplants). Dr. Stenger is also an assistant professor at Emory University and its affiliate with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. In this episode, Dr. Stenger is answering some of the top question...