A Sickle Cell Video Went Viral in Canada: How GBF Helped Get It to Africa

Global Blood Fund Executive Director Gavin Evans has come across thousands of videos promoting blood donation over his 27 years in the blood industry, but stumbled on one a couple of years ago that managed to stand out above the rest.

The video, simply titled “130 for 1.”, features a young Black woman standing before 130 strangers. All 130 strangers are situated behind cartoon depictions of themselves printed on large whiteboards, like the board game “Guess Who?” brought to life. The woman begins asking the group a series of questions.

“Who here loves winter?”

Several people push down their boards in affirmation.

“Who here plays a musical instrument?”

Several more go down.

“Now, who here has ever donated blood?”

Each remaining card falls.

“My name is Ilanit,” she tells them. “I am 18 years old, and all of you here have saved my life.”