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23 blood donations. Spurred by the death of her niece, Akira Hollis, from sickle cell anemia in 2015, it has since been Sampson's mission to support the American Red Cross. Despite numerous blood transfusions, Hollis died at 17. Since 2017, Sampson has worked at up to six Red Cross blood drives yearly in Dothan, Ozark and Enterprise, registering and encouraging donors and handing out snacks. Hollis' death prompted Sampson to educate others about the need for blood donations. "Sickle cell disease is hereditary and is passed down genetically," said Sampson, who began donating blood during college. "There are several in my family, me included, who have the sickle cell trait, but my niece was the first one ever in our line that I am aware of who had the disease. "It's important for people to get tested and know whether you're a carrier or not, because my sister and her partner didn't realize they were carriers until Akira was born. Akira needed blood transfusions to live her short life. We lost count of how many blood transfusions she had." Sampson and her family host an annual blood drive in Hollis' memory. During fall 2022, the Red Cross wrote to Sampson, notifying her that the family's event was among the area's most successful. Sampson's son, Darius Brown, owns the Dothan Hoops Training Facility and sponsored this year's four-hour drive on Sept. 7. Sampson's team collected 19 units of blood and more than $300 in donations. "This is my pet project because of my niece," Sampson said. "We make a lot of contacts with people we know and make personal calls to people who knew her. It gives a little added incentive to give blood … it takes some persuasion, sometimes. "By them knowing us, knowing the family, knowing the situation, knowing over her life span how many blood transfusions she had to have just to live the short period of time that she did live, it makes it personal," Sampson said. The family works to educate people about the need for blood, Sampson said, because many don't realize that sickle cell patients often require blood transfusions to sustain life. "That's a piece of the education theme: We try to use this platform to get people to know the importance of getting tested and knowing the status before you begin building your family," Sampson said. By Donna Cope Download our mobile app today. The Alabama Power mobile app is the best power tool to stay connected. • Make a payment quickly and securely • Track your energy usage • Report outages and view restoration efforts • Find personalized alerts and tips www.alabamapower.com/mobileapp

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