A Florida teenager is battling an aggressive form of sickle cell disease and urgently needs rare blood donations.Before Gigi Felix can undergo a life-saving bone marrow transplant, doctors need 50 units of very rare blood.WATCH: Urgent plea for rare blood donors to help save Florida teen's life Urgent plea for rare blood donors to help save Florida teen's life"Im just asking for your help because I really do need it. It would mean a lot for me," said Gigi Felix, an 18-year-old.The 18-year-old teen from Miami has been in and out of the hospital for most of her life. The inherited blood disorder causes her constant pain."Sickle cell is a very painful disease. Gigi explained it to me as feeling like there are splinters running through her veins, and its extremely painful," said Susan Forbes, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for OneBlood.Forbes is urging people everywhere to go to their nearest OneBlood donation center and donate blood.She said finding compatible blood for Gigi comes down to antigens."Doctors have the match for her. Her brother is the perfect bone marrow match, but they cannot proceed forward with that transplant until 50 units of very rare and very specific blood donors are found to help save her life," said Forbes.Forbes said that 25 units of rare blood have already been secured, but they still need an additional 25 units.To be a potential match for Gigi, donors must be African American or of African descent. Their blood type must be O Negative.Only 7% of the population has O Negative blood.OneBlood will determine whether donors are a match for Gigi and will also determine each donor's blood type."This is more than providing her the same blood type that she needs, its about matching it down to the antigen level, so she needs genetically similar blood. That is what is going to be the safest blood for her, and that is what her body will accept," said Forbes.Gigi has had many blood transfusions throughout her life, and that's why it's challenging to find compatible blood.When a person has had many blood transfusions, they create antibodies, and those antibodies make it difficult to find compatible blood, said Dr. Brian Cauff, Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital.She has so many different antibodies to red blood cells that most blood is not compatible with her. We have to look very hard to find units that will work for her, said Dr. David Crawford, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Holtz Childrens Hospital at UHealth Jackson Childrens Care.Statistically, only 1 in 1,000 individuals of African descent will be a blood match for Gigi."If you were a match for her, you will be part of saving this young womans life," said Forbes.To learn more about how to help Gigi and become a donor, click here. ...read more read less