The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood or platelets during National Volunteer Month this April. Eligible donors of all blood types – especially type O – are needed to help ensure blood products are available for patients this spring.
Nearly half of the public knows someone who has been helped by a blood transfusion. For many volunteer blood donors, like Gail Wright, that personal connection serves as inspiration to give.
Wright’s brother was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 1982 and needed several blood transfusions during his four-month recovery. She lived over 120 miles away at the time. Unable to be near him, she decided she could help by donating blood. Wright has continued to donate and recently completed her 11th gallon of donated blood – 88 lifesaving blood donations.
Volunteer donors are the only source of blood products for those in need of transfusions, and the Red Cross salutes the volunteer blood and platelet donors who help fulfill its lifesaving mission. While donors of all blood types are needed, the Red Cross currently has a severe shortage of type O blood donations and urges type O donors to give now.
Make an appointment to help save lives now by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visitingRedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
HBO and Red Cross invite Game of Thrones fans to Bleed #ForTheThrone
To celebrate the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO and the American Red Cross have partnered to encourage fans and donors to show their bravery and valor by bleeding #ForTheThrone. Many answered the call to give earlier this year, and much like the show, embarking on its final season, the fight for the living isn’t over.
Those who come to donate by April 30 will be automatically entered for a chance to win a full-size Iron Throne from HBO’s Game of Thrones. Terms and conditions apply and are available at RedCrossBlood.org/HBOGameofThrones.* Additionally, all presenting donors April 11-30, 2019, will receive a commemorative Bleed For The Throne poster, while supplies** last, and automatically be entered in the above-mentioned sweepstakes.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities inMarshall County are Thursday, April 18th from 11:30 to 5:30 at the Knights of Columbus at 901 East Jefferson Street in Plymouth; Monday, April 29th from 3 to 8 p.m. at Menominee Elementary School at 815 Discovery Lane in Plymouth and on Tuesday, April 30th at the Bremen High School at 511 West Grant Street in Bremen from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How to help
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
