The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is excited to announce the launch of a new video series highlighting the story of Aaron Cheng, a physician in training who has a blood disorder called thalassemia. In this series, Aaron shares his experience growing up with thalassemia and provides tips for others on how to manage the condition while living their best life. We are excited to share with you four new videos, highlighted below, about important aspects of thalassemia. |
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About Thalassemia
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder in which the body doesn’t make enough hemoglobin, an important protein in red blood cells. When there isn’t enough hemoglobin, the body’s red blood cells don’t function properly and have shorter lifespan, resulting in fewer healthy red blood cells traveling in the blood stream.
Many people who have thalassemia require blood transfusions for treatment. People who receive many blood transfusions are at risk for iron overload. Red blood cells contain a lot of iron. Over time, the excess iron from all the transfusions can build up in the body. When it builds up, iron collects in places such as the heart, liver, and brain, and can make it hard for these organs to work properly. To prevent iron overload, people with thalassemia may need chelation therapy, a medicine—a pill or a shot under the skin—given to remove excess iron before it builds up in the organs.
It's important for healthcare providers, families, policymakers, and others to know that thalassemia is a treatable blood disorder that can be well-managed with blood transfusions and chelation therapy. To stay healthy, it is important for people with thalassemia to learn about their disorder and stay on track with their treatment plans.
View Aaron’s Videos
Aaron Cheng’s family learned he had thalassemia when he was 8 months old. In the videos, Aaron shares how he learned about thalassemia and overcame many challenges in managing his disorder. Aaron also shares how thalassemia influenced his passion to become a physician. Read on to access the links to, and information about, each video segment.
1. Learning About Thalassemia: Learning about thalassemia can be challenging for any family because of the variety of testing and treatments that people with thalassemia are faced with throughout their lifetime. In this video, Aaron shares how his family learned about his diagnosis.
2. Transition from Pediatric to Adult Thalassemia Care: As children with thalassemia move into young adulthood, they take on more responsibility for managing their blood disorder and its treatment. This time is called transition. In this video, Aaron shares how he transitioned and took more responsibility for managing thalassemia as a college student and also during medical school.
3. Managing Transfusions and Chelation: Many people with thalassemia require frequent blood transfusions as a part of treatment. They also may require chelation, a treatment that helps prevent iron overload in the organs. In this video, Aaron shares how he prepares for transfusions, stays on track with his treatments, and balances thalassemia treatment with his busy life.
4. Living with Thalassemia: Living with thalassemia can present many challenges, but it does not have to define one’s life. In this video, Aaron shares his tips for successfully living with thalassemia and what other people can do to help people with thalassemia, as well as his passion for becoming a physician.
Watch the videos here.
What You Can Do
Share these resources with your family, friends, and colleagues!
Want to learn more about thalassemia? Visit CDC’s thalassemia website. Also visit Cooley’s Anemia Foundation.
Want to learn more about blood donation? Visit My Sleeves Up.
For the latest updates and resources, follow us on Twitter @CDC_NCBDDD.
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