OMAHA, Neb. —

Nebraska Community Blood Bank urges people to roll up their sleeves and support Sickle Cell Awareness Month. The red blood cell disease affects 100,000 people in the United States and 8 million worldwide.

While we are no longer in a blood shortage, NCBB still needs donations.

"We are always in need because school's starting, there's lots of sports happening, travel to go watch sports," Pam Ludlow, a business development manager with NCBB, said. "There's always a need for blood."

Sickle cell disease malforms red blood cells into the shape of a sickle or a crescent, which is very painful and causes organ damage. The disease also puts people at a higher risk of strokes.

"Life expectancy is 20-30 years shorter than the average in the U.S.," Ludlow said.

Few people know the

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