In the Season of Giving, They Gave

The gift that keeps on giving. Giving for life. Giving life. That is what donors lined up in the Event Center for on Thursday, December 1... the gift of donating blood.

Utilizing the newly repurposed old National Guard Armory, the American Red Cross Blood Mobile team was excited with the spacious facility and will be contemplating utilizing it in the future.

Every two seconds someone needs blood. Every two seconds! Dave Wall, team director, stated the goal that had been set for this particular draw was 44 units. He was excited when 72 signed in, and of these individuals, 64 units were successfully drawn. Of those who were not able to donate, the prominent hold back was an iron level that was too low.

This draw attracted three new donors to the roster. Recently, when a donor's blood is shared and utilized, the donor receives an email or text that states where their particular blood was used; for example, Birmingham, AL, or Chicago, IL. That quick detail adds a personal note to the art of giving and one knows their donation was important.

The next draw for Malta is Thursday, February 16, 2023, with notice of location to be announced closer to the date. Donors now have the choice of donating four times a year or donating using Power Red. Those signing up for Power Red only give twice a year, giving two pints per draw.

Using the Power Red donation, you give a concentrated dose of red cells, the part of your blood used every day for those needing transfusions as part of their care. This type of donation uses an automated process that separates your red blood cells from the other blood components, and then safely and comfortably returns your plasma and platelets to you.

This process takes about 1.5 hours so time is a consideration when making a Power Red appointment. Red cells from a Power Red donation are typically given to trauma patients, newborns, and emergency transfusions during birth, people with sickle cell anemia, and anyone suffering blood loss. The ideal blood types for this method are O positive, O negative, A negative, and B negative.

Upon completion of donating, donors are usually provided a sandwich, cookie or chips, and juice. For this blood draw the Cattlewomen provided sandwiches and cookies, and volunteers manned the refreshment table.

The gift of giving blood is non-seasonal, and the giving does last a lifetime. If you are already a donor, thank you. If not, consider it, if your health so allows and you are so inclined.