Perhaps the most pertinent moments in the show, according to Patrish, are the recurring blood donation scenes. During these, you see the warriors sitting through blood transfusion treatments, which replace damaged cells with healthy red blood cells from blood donors. Given that Patrish has a blood transfusion every five weeks, she knows first-hand just how urgent the need for Black blood donors is.

Just 1% of blood donors in the UK are Black, a statistic that has remained unchanged for the past few years. NHS Blood and Transplant raised urgent pleas for more Black donors during Sickle Cell Awareness Month last September. Since Supacell aired, however, the Sickle Cell Society has seen a 20% increase in donation inquiries, CEO John James told the NHS in a press release.

Netflix’s Supacell: why the series marks a milestone in sickle cell representation for Black women