ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Students, teachers, and staff at Rochester Prep rolled up their sleeves Friday to remember one of their late classmates.
Samaya Cameron was just 19 years old and was in her first year of college when she died due to complications from sickle cell disease.
Since then, the Rochester Prep family has wrapped around the Camerons, including Samaya’s younger sister Maya who’s a senior there, also battling sickle cell disease. Friday’s blood drive is to raise awareness for sickle cell and to make sure Samaya isn’t forgotten
“I felt very grateful to the school for you know doing this, and I feel like it — what the school is doing will help other families that have sickle cell and spread awareness to the disease.”
This is the fourth year of the blood drive and organizers with the school say about 40% of the donations are from students wanting to support the Camerons. According to the Red Cross, sickle cell anemia affects more than 100 thousand people in the U.S., and it more widely affects African Americans.