WACO, Texas — Every year 4.5 million American lives are saved by blood transfusions, according to Carter BloodCare. January is national blood donor month and the demand is high.
Linda Goelzer, the director of public relations with Carter BloodCare said they ended 2020 on a difficult note.
High school blood drives contribute about 20% to 25% of their annual blood collections an with fewer blood drives and social distancing, they had a tough time stabilizing their supply.
"A lot of the medical miracles that happen in our day and age that we don't even think of as being miracles anymore, they happen successfully because there is a safe and sufficient blood supply," Goelzer said.
Carter BloodCare is also currently accepting donations for Covid Convalescent Plasma, known as CCP. It's the plasma of someone who recovered from the virus and it has antibodies which can be used for hospitalized Covid-19 patients.
"The population of patients is growing every day, unfortunately and so this is one of the treatments that can be helpful to patients in some ways, and doctors are still considering it very important and ordering it regularly," Goelzer said.
You can give blood every 56 days, so Goelzer wants to encourage high school students and adults to donate blood as much as possible this year to help those who depend on blood donations.
"At a time when we're social distancing there's nothing quite as intimate as giving of yourself to someone else, and blood is a tremendous quality that has powerful rewards for patients," Goelzer said.
Anyone who registers to be a donor through January 10 is automatically entered for the chance to win an SUV.
Just visit their website, schedule an appointment, and help save lives.
To schedule an appointment, click here.
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