Doctor thanks donors this Christmas

This Christmas, Aberdeen doctor Musa Watila is thanking blood donors for the life changing transfusions he needs to treat sickle cell disorder.

A specialty doctor in Neurology at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Dr Watila lives in the city with his wife and two children. He was less than a year old when his parents discovered he had sickle cell disorder, and needs a red cell exchange every six to eight weeks.

Sickle cell disorder is an inherited blood disorder that effects the red blood cells in the body. Instead of being a round, doughnut shape, the red blood cells are in the shape of a sickle. These cells clump together and cause inflammation and swelling in the body which can lead to a sickle cell disorder sufferer having a severe and painful 'crises'.

Your blood donations keep me pain free, stronger and more efficient as a doctor Dr Watila

Dr Watila says, 'Before starting regular red cell transfusions I would suffer from sickle cell crises at least once a month and these could lead to hospital admissions. In my final year of medical school, I had a severe crisis that caused damage to my hip joints which resulted in undergoing a hip replacement.'

However, since receiving regular blood transfusions, Dr Watila hasn’t suffered any sickle cell crises and his quality of life has improved dramatically.

He wants to thank blood donors this Christmas as he says, 'Your blood donations keep me pain free, stronger and more efficient as a doctor.' Dr Watila loves his job and helping those in need, because as he says, 'I understand very well what it means to be on the other side of the table as a patient.'

• To register as a blood donor or to find out where your nearest donation session is, call 0345 90 90 999. Alternatively, you can sign in/sign up online.