By Jenny Farley

Cameron Williams is a diehard Philly sports fan and an athlete who loves playing football, basketball and running track. He’s also an inventor.

At just 14 years old, he recently worked on a group project in school for his “Money Matters” class, where he came up with the idea for compression undergarments that heat up.

“It was phenomenal actually,” his mom Qamra Williams said.

Cameron’s teacher told the class to design a project useful to the public. He got an “A.”

For Cameron, developing clothing that heats up came from his own experience being cold, something that for him can be more than uncomfortable – it can hurt.

“I chose that because I know how it feels to play in the cold or play in the snow and we wanted to fix that,” he said.

Cameron has sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. Patients may suffer intense pain (crisis), have organ damage or need hundreds of blood transfusions throughout their life.

Blood donors who are Black or African American are much more likely to be a match for the blood most commonly needed.

Cameron’s mom Qamra is an operating room nurse at a Level 1 trauma center and will graduate in September with a master’s degree in health care administration.

In nursing school she remembers studying about sickle cell disease while pregnant with Cameron. It was still a shock to get the diagnosis after he was born, but she’s grateful his condition is not worse.

“We’ve been blessed. Cameron is not as sick as a lot of other children with sickle cell,” she said. “He’s gotten one blood transfusion in his entire life.”

Pain from sickle cell disease can knock him out of his much loved activities though, and that’s frustrating.

“I miss out on a lot of things I need to do,” he said.

On the day we spoke Cameron was having a “rough day” from the pain in his arm, which prevented him from going to basketball practice the day before a game.

When asked what he wants people, especially kids, to know about sickle cell disease he said, “I can’t control it.” But there’s something you can do to help.

“Donating blood is important. It helps people with sickle cell,” he said.

As a member of the Montgomery chapter of the community organization Jack and Jill of America Inc., Qamra volunteered to host a blood drive with the American Red Cross to help collect blood for people with sickle cell disease like her son Cameron. The blood drive was held at the Super Giant Community Center in Willow Grove the day after Valentine’s Day.

Qamra and Cameron planned to be there. But, proving that a sickle cell crisis can happen at any moment, Cameron spent the day of the blood drive and the days leading up to it with a fever, in terrible pain at a hospital. His mom stayed by his side to help him through it.

Donor after donor arrived at the blood drive with a mission – helping Cameron know how much he and his family are loved and how willing they were to donate blood to support him.

Dana Walters and several other volunteers from Jack and Jill of America, Inc. spent the blood drive helping Red Cross volunteers hand out t-shirts, restock snacks for donors and check on how they were feeling after giving blood.

Dana has an aunt who has sickle cell disease and is close to the Williams family. She considers Cameron her nephew.

“When he’s in the hospital, he’s receiving heavy pain medication and we’re just hoping that he feels better soon,” she said.

Michele Edwards put her fear of needles aside to donate blood at the drive to support Qamra and Cameron. Michele’s son is friends with Cameron and the families have been close for years.

“They go through a lot with that disease and I just wanted to make sure that I was available to help any way that I can. This is my first time. I’m doing it for Cam,” she said.

Lamont Terrell has been a blood donor for nearly 25 years and his daughter is also friends with Cameron. While making a power red donation, he talked about the movie plans the kids had before Cameron ended up in the hospital and they had to cancel.

“Seeing her friend suffering really just brought it to life why it’s so important to always give back, in particular by giving blood,” he said.

Cameron’s dad Maurice Williams came to the drive with his son Hampton, Cameron’s little brother. Maurice donated blood and said Cameron’s pain was down to a “level 6” that day, on a scale of 1 to 10.

“Each day he’s getting better. He’s a strong kid. He’s doing everything he needs to do to get out of the hospital.”

Maurice had a message for people who are thinking about donating blood but haven’t done it yet.

“Do it as soon as possible. You never know how your donation may help somebody else in need, especially kids with sickle cell.”

For more information on becoming a blood donor, download the Red Cross blood donor app, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. That’s 1-800-733-2767.