The Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada - Scdac/aafc

08/13/2026

Thank you Fondation Matthew Coustou!

𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 — The Sickle Cell Community Will Be Among the First Impacted

According to Canadian Blood Services, the national blood supply has decreased by nearly 20% since June 1, and donors of all blood types are urgently needed.

At the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada (SCDAC), we are deeply concerned.

For many Canadians living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), blood transfusions are not optional — they are lifesaving. Alongside medication, blood transfusions remain one of the two primary supportive care interventions used to prevent strokes, manage severe complications, and help individuals with SCD live longer and healthier lives.

Every unit of blood donated has the potential to save a life. For someone living with SCD, it can mean the difference between a medical crisis and stability, between hospitalization and returning home to their family.

Yet there is a painful reality we cannot ignore.

The very communities most likely to provide the diverse blood types needed by many patients with SCD continue to face barriers to donation. For years, the malaria-related donor eligibility policy has disproportionately excluded many people of African, Caribbean, and other malaria-endemic backgrounds from donating blood in Canada.

As Canada faces a significant decline in blood inventories, an important question must be asked: how much stronger would our national blood supply be today if thousands of willing donors from these communities had not faced these barriers?

This question is particularly relevant given that on June 11, 2026, Canadian Blood Services submitted a proposal to Health Canada for review of the malaria-related donor eligibility policy. This represents an important opportunity to modernize Canada's blood system and ensure it is both evidence-based and equitable.

"For people living with Sickle Cell Disease, blood is not a convenience — it is a lifeline. When blood supplies fall, our community worries first because we understand how quickly shortages can affect access to lifesaving transfusions. At a time when Canada urgently needs more donors, we must remove unnecessary barriers that prevent willing and healthy people from contributing to the blood system," said Biba Tinga, President of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada.

The current shortage reminds us that building a resilient blood system requires more than emergency appeals. It requires removing unnecessary barriers, rebuilding trust, and ensuring that everyone who is willing and eligible to donate has a fair opportunity to do so.

While we await a decision, the need for blood is immediate. We are calling on everyone who meets the current eligibility criteria across Canada to step forward and support our national blood system.

Donate today. Encourage others to donate. Help protect the blood supply that thousands of Canadians depend on every day.

At the same time, as Health Canada reviews the proposal submitted by Canadian Blood Services, we urge a timely decision. Canada cannot afford to lose willing donors at a time when blood inventories are declining, and patients who depend on regular transfusions face increasing uncertainty.

Every day of delay is a missed opportunity to strengthen our national blood supply, improve equity in donor participation, and build a more resilient blood system for all Canadians.

The time to act is now.

Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada (SCDAC)

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada - Scdac/aafc

07/31/2026

Canada’s Blood Supply Is Declining — The Sickle Cell Community Will Be Among the First Impacted

According to Canadian Blood Services, the national blood supply has decreased by nearly 20% since June 1 and donors of all blood types are urgently needed.

At the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada (SCDAC), we are deeply concerned.

For many Canadians living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), blood transfusions are not optional — they are lifesaving. Alongside medication, blood transfusions remain one of the two primary supportive care interventions used to prevent strokes, manage severe complications and help individuals with SCD live longer and healthier lives.

Every unit of blood donated has the potential to save a life. For someone living with SCD, it can mean the difference between a medical crisis and stability, between hospitalization and returning home to their family.

Yet there is a painful reality we cannot ignore.

The very communities most likely to provide the diverse blood types needed by many patients with SCD continue to face barriers to donation. For years, the malaria-related donor eligibility policy has disproportionately excluded many people of African, Caribbean and other malaria-endemic backgrounds from donating blood in Canada.

As Canada faces a significant decline in blood inventories, an important question must be asked: how much stronger would our national blood supply be today if thousands of willing donors from these communities had not faced these barriers?

This question is particularly relevant given that on June 11, 2026, Canadian Blood Services submitted a proposal to Health Canada for review of the malaria-related donor eligibility policy. This represents an important opportunity to modernize Canada's blood system and ensure it is both evidence-based and equitable.

The current shortage reminds us that building a resilient blood system requires more than emergency appeals. It requires removing unnecessary barriers, rebuilding trust and ensuring that everyone who is willing and eligible to donate has a fair opportunity to do so.

While we await a decision, the need for blood is immediate. We are calling on everyone who meets the current eligibility criteria across Canada to step forward and support our national blood system.

Donate today. Encourage others to donate. Help protect the blood supply that thousands of Canadians depend on every day.

At the same time, as Health Canada reviews the proposal submitted by Canadian Blood Services, we urge a timely decision. Canada cannot afford to lose willing donors at a time when blood inventories are declining and patients who depend on regular transfusions face increasing uncertainty.

Every day of delay is a missed opportunity to strengthen our national blood supply, improve equity in donor participation and build a more resilient blood system for all Canadians.

The time to act is now.

07/30/2026

L’approvisionnement en sang du Canada est en baisse — La communauté d'anémie falciforme sera parmi les premières touchées.

Selon la Société canadienne du sang, les stocks nationaux de sang ont diminué de près de 20 % depuis le 1er juin et des donneurs de tous les groupes sanguins sont urgemment recherchés.

À l'Association d'anémie falciforme du Canada (AAFC), nous sommes profondément préoccupés.

Pour de nombreux Canadiens vivant avec l'anémie falciforme, les transfusions sanguines ne sont pas optionnelles — elles sauvent des vies. En plus des médicaments, les transfusions demeurent l’une des deux principales interventions de soins de soutien utilisées pour prévenir les AVC, gérer les complications graves et aider les personnes atteintes de cette maladie à vivre plus longtemps et en meilleure santé.

Chaque unité de sang donnée a le potentiel de sauver une vie. Pour une personne vivant avec l’anémie falciforme, cela peut faire la différence entre une crise médicale et la stabilité, entre une hospitalisation et un retour à la maison auprès de sa famille.

Pourtant, il existe une réalité douloureuse que nous ne pouvons ignorer.

Les communautés les plus susceptibles de fournir les types de sang diversifiés dont de nombreux personnes atteintes de la maladie falciforme ont besoin continuent de faire face à des obstacles au don. Pendant des années, la politique d’admissibilité des donneurs liée au paludisme a exclu de façon disproportionnée de nombreuses personnes d’ascendance africaine, caribéenne et d’autres régions d’endémiques au paludisme ( ou malaria) du don de sang au Canada.

Alors que le Canada fait face à une baisse importante des stocks de sang, une question importante doit être posée : à quel point notre réserve nationale de sang serait-elle plus solide aujourd’hui si des milliers de donneurs volontaires issus de ces communautés n’avaient pas été confrontés à ces obstacles?

Cette question est d’autant plus pertinente que le 11 juin 2026, la Société canadienne du sang a soumis à Santé Canada une proposition de révision de la politique d’admissibilité des donneurs liée au paludisme. Cela représente une occasion importante de moderniser le système sanguin du Canada et de s’assurer qu’il repose sur des données probantes et qu’il est équitable.

La pénurie actuelle nous rappelle que bâtir un système sanguin robuste exige plus que des appels d’urgence. Cela exige de lever les obstacles inutiles, de rebâtir la confiance et de s’assurer que toute personne prête et admissible à donner a une chance équitable de le faire.

En attendant une décision, pour notre communauté, le besoin de sang est immédiat. Nous appelons toutes les personnes qui répondent aux critères d’admissibilité actuels à travers le Canada à se mobiliser et à soutenir notre système national du sang.

Donnez aujourd’hui. Encouragez d’autres personnes à donner. Contribuez à protéger l’approvisionnement en sang dont des milliers de Canadiens dépendent chaque jour.

En même temps, pendant que Santé Canada examine la proposition soumise par la Société canadienne du sang, nous demandons une décision rapide. Le Canada ne peut pas se permettre de perdre des donneurs volontaires à un moment où les stocks de sang diminuent et où les patients qui dépendent de transfusions régulières font face à une incertitude croissante.

Chaque jour de re**rd est une occasion manquée de renforcer notre réserve nationale de sang, d’améliorer l’équité dans la participation des donneurs et de bâtir un système sanguin plus robuste pour tous les Canadiens.

Le temps d’agir, c’est maintenant.

07/30/2026

Canada’s Blood Supply Is Declining — The Sickle Cell Community Will Be Among the First Impacted

According to Canadian Blood Services, the national blood supply has decreased by nearly 20% since June 1 and donors of all blood types are urgently needed.

At the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada (SCDAC), we are deeply concerned.

For many Canadians living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), blood transfusions are not optional — they are lifesaving. Alongside medication, blood transfusions remain one of the two primary supportive care interventions used to prevent strokes, manage severe complications and help individuals with SCD live longer and healthier lives.

Every unit of blood donated has the potential to save a life. For someone living with SCD, it can mean the difference between a medical crisis and stability, between hospitalization and returning home to their family.

Yet there is a painful reality we cannot ignore.

The very communities most likely to provide the diverse blood types needed by many patients with SCD continue to face barriers to donation. For years, the malaria-related donor eligibility policy has disproportionately excluded many people of African, Caribbean and other malaria-endemic backgrounds from donating blood in Canada.

As Canada faces a significant decline in blood inventories, an important question must be asked: how much stronger would our national blood supply be today if thousands of willing donors from these communities had not faced these barriers?

This question is particularly relevant given that on June 11, 2026, Canadian Blood Services submitted a proposal to Health Canada for review of the malaria-related donor eligibility policy. This represents an important opportunity to modernize Canada's blood system and ensure it is both evidence-based and equitable.

The current shortage reminds us that building a resilient blood system requires more than emergency appeals. It requires removing unnecessary barriers, rebuilding trust and ensuring that everyone who is willing and eligible to donate has a fair opportunity to do so.

While we await a decision, for the Sickle Cell community, the need for blood is immediate. We are calling on everyone who meets the current eligibility criteria across Canada to step forward and support our national blood system.

Donate today. Encourage others to donate. Help protect the blood supply that thousands of Canadians depend on every day.

At the same time, as Health Canada reviews the proposal submitted by Canadian Blood Services, we urge a timely decision. Canada cannot afford to lose willing donors at a time when blood inventories are declining and patients who depend on regular transfusions face increasing uncertainty.

Every day of delay is a missed opportunity to strengthen our national blood supply, improve equity in donor participation and build a more resilient blood system for all Canadians.

The time to act is now.

07/09/2026

Bringing awareness to where the community gathers!

We had an amazing time at the Sickle Cell Awareness NUYUBYSTACY Fashion Show in Ajax on July 3! ✨

Representing SCDAC:
Ms. Tiney Beckles - Board Member & long-time advocate
Mr. Bodun Macaulay - Strong SCD advocate, answering questions and engaging the community

Events like this remind us: awareness happens through conversation, presence and partnership. Thank you to the organizers for creating a space where education and culture meet.

Fashion + advocacy + community = powerful awareness.

07/08/2026

Sickle cell disease and G6PD Deficiency: learn more and stay healthy!

07/08/2026

Thank you Senate of Canada - Sénat du Canada for your support to tge Sickle Cell Community!

Stark testimony from sufferers of sickle cell disease brought home the significance of a Senate bill that would improve the lives of people with this debilitating disease, as well as their caregivers, parliamentarians heard at a recent Senate event.

Senator Tony Ince helped organize the event in collaboration with the The Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada - Scdac/aafc and the University of Ottawa’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health to urge Parliament to adopt Bill S-201, the National Framework on Sickle Cell Disease Act.

Read his op-ed to learn more: https://ow.ly/AL1150ZlAxN

Icbh/Cisn

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s to every man who fathers with love

Bonne fête des Pères à chaque homme qui aime et protège avec le coeur

06/19/2026

Aujourd’hui, le Canada marque la Journée nationale de l'anémie falciforme.

Mais la reconnaissance seule ne suffit pas.

Partout au pays, l’accès au dépistage, aux traitements et aux soins spécialisés dépend encore du code postal. Pour les milliers de Canadiennes et Canadiens vivant avec l'anémie falciforme, ces inégalités ont des conséquences bien réelles.

Aujourd’hui, nous rendons hommage aux personnes vivant avec la maladie, à leurs familles et à leurs proches aidants, tout en renouvelant notre engagement à combler les écarts grâce à de meilleures données, un meilleur approvisionnement en sang et de meilleurs soins.

La sensibilisation doit mener à l’action.

06/19/2026

Today, Canada recognizes sickle cell disease.

But recognition is not enough.

Across the country, access to screening, treatment and specialized care still depends on postal code. For the thousands of Canadians living with sickle cell disease, that gap has real consequences.

Today, we honor patients, families and caregivers—and recommit to closing the gap with better data, better blood and better care.

Awareness must lead to action.