Bermuda’s best response to a blood drive has been welcome news to recipients like Adrian Warner, whose life depends on transfusions of donated blood.Mr Warner, a sickle cell anaemia sufferer, was gratified to hear of the high turnout of new donors in the past two weeks.But he called for more young black residents to make their presence known.“I have a special antigen in my blood that’s only produced by black people, so my appeal would be to my peers,” Mr Warner explained to The Royal Gazette.“Everybody who can should donate, but statistically the young black population is the smallest group that’s represented in donations.”Those of African descent are the most susceptible to the genetic ailment that nearly claimed Mr Warner’s life.Sickle cell struck in his early childhood, then dealt him a severe stroke at age 11 which prompted him to receive regular blood transfusions.Now 22, Mr Warner recalled the pain he endured while studying in Canada in 2009, when a bureaucratic muddle cut him off from the procedure.After a few months without blood, his body abruptly swung into a crisis.“I remember feeling terrible the morning it happened,” he said. “I couldn’t breathe.”His blood cells had distorted, causing them to clump in sharply painful and potentially lethal blockages.“My roommate found me passed out on the kitchen floor,” he said. “I woke up in the hospital about two weeks later. It was extremely close to being fatal.”The latest episode interrupted Mr Warner’s studies, and he now works temporarily as a trust administrator for Butterfields.His current good health depends largely on the three units of blood he receives every four weeks at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, and Mr Warner — who also sits on the board of the Sickle Cell Association — has been a strong public advocate behind this month’s campaign.Bermuda residents have typically fallen far short of other countries when it comes to donating blood.However, according to the Bermuda Hospitals Board, this has been “the best response the Blood Donor Centre has had from a campaign”.A spokeswoman said 26 new donors have contacted the centre over the past two weeks, along with another ten donors who had taken a break.“In addition, ten regular donors have made an appointment to donate,” she said.Susan de Verteuil, Pathology Nurse for the Blood Donor Centre, said stories like Mr Warner’s, or that of fellow sickle cell sufferer Calvin Steede, aged nine, “really tugged at everyone’s heart”.“We are very appreciative of the recipients who spoke personally about their medical condition to help highlight the ongoing need for blood donation.”The support of local athletes also helped encourage younger donors, she said.The drive, supported by Digicel, runs from June 10 to August 30, and donors have a chance of winning one of two cellphones offered in a raffle by the company.Added Ms de Verteuil: “Although we are very pleased by the positive response, we hope that it is not short-lived — because we need blood every week of the year.”Useful website: www.bermudahospitals.bm.