( CNN ) -- As you can imagine , college life can be very eventful . Balancing classes , internships , and a life away from home is enough to keep anyone busy . As a 20-year-old living with a chronic illness , I have skillfully learned the balancing act of college life . My name is Marquita Gaines , and I have sickle cell disease . I was first diagnosed at birth . The doctors performed a newborn screening test and when I was 10 days old they called to inform my mom . Because she and my father both have the sickle cell trait , she was aware that I may have the disease . At the age of 8 months I began having fevers over 101 consistently for a year . When I was 5 years old , I was riding the new bike I had just gotten for Christmas when I fell off and the handle bars hit me in the ribcage . That night I began having difficulty breathing . I was rushed to the local hospital and within hours I had stopped breathing . I was moved to intensive care , revived , and placed on a respirator . The critical care doctors and the hematologist worked day and night to figure out what was happening to me . My health continued to decline , and my parents were told to go pray because if I continued to not receive enough oxygen I would only have two hours to live . Around the seventh day , my condition stabilized and it was learned that I was suffering from an acute chest syndrome , a condition common among sickle cell patients . Shooting survivor says blood donations saved her life . Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder affecting the red blood cells . It causes the cells to lose oxygen very easily , turning them from round shapes to crescent shapes that cause painful episodes known as pain crises . At first glance , no one would know that I am a patient living with sickle cell disease . On any given day I can feel great , but I never know when the pain will come or how long it will last . A pain crisis can cause severe pain in my joints , my bones and my muscles . Sometimes it lasts for hours or even for days . At my worst it is difficult to walk and I have to use a wheelchair . To help reduce the number and severity of these episodes , I take daily medications and , with the help of the American Red Cross , I receive red blood cell transfusions every six weeks . The first time I received donor blood from the American Red Cross , I was in the 11th grade . I arrived on an outpatient basis , and a trained nurse from the American Red Cross came to administer the procedure . I was nervous , but the possibility of having little to no pain was exciting . First , my blood was typed and cross-matched with donor blood . Then , with my family by my side , the transfusion began . A machine filtered out my sickled red blood cells in exchange for roughly 10 pints of normal red blood cells . The American Red Cross nurse administering the transfusion was very knowledgeable and friendly , which helped me remain calm . Everything was a success , and within a week and a half I felt like a brand new person ! My bones no longer ached and I was able to stop taking the heavy pain medication . Once my senior year began , I was able to attend school more often . I also was able to run the mile in eight minutes with the rest of the gym class -- and I was n't the last person to finish ! Cancer survivor 's challenge : Give the gift of life this season . Now in my junior year at Howard University , I am still managing school work and my illness . I am involved in campus life as a member of student government and other organizations . I am young and full of life , with many goals and aspirations . The American Red Cross provides the opportunity for me to feel better more often . Transfusions allow me to have an easier , pain-free life . During this holiday season , my hope is that everyone will realize the importance of being a blood donor . For people like me who need regular transfusions , blood is often best matched among people of the same ethnic group , so donations from anyone who is a minority or has a rare blood type such as U- or Fy ( a-b- ) are especially important . You could help someone like me live a healthier , happier , pain-free life . I am a testament to the importance of blood donation and the services that the American Red Cross provides on a daily basis . Without both I would n't be able to be a happy and successful young lady . I realize that sickle cell disease is a part of me , but it will never define who I am . With treatments like this and a strong support system , which I have from my family and the American Red Cross , there is no excuse not to succeed with this disease . To learn more about becoming a blood donor or to make a donation appointment with the American Red Cross , visit RedCrossBlood.org .
Marquita Gaines is a 20-year-old college student with sickle cell disease . Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that can cause severe pain . It affects about one in every 10,000 people, and it kills more than 100 children each year. Each exchange transfusion requires 10 units of red blood cells .