Skip to main content

Red Cross asks citizens to put blood donation on resolutions list

While many New Years resolutions go by the wayside, one resolution can last a lifetime: donating blood.

"When you resolve to donate blood in the coming year, you're committing to something that can help change lives - including your own," says Sharyn Whitman, CEO for the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross.

A single whole blood donation may help save the lives of up to three people, and may be given through Red Cross blood drives at schools, churches, community centers, businesses and other organizations.

Red Cross officials say that every day, hospital patients need blood products such as red cells, platelets and plasma for the treatment of cancer and serious diseases, as well as for emergency and trauma care. Last year, nearly five million people needed blood transfusions. And that need, the officials say, will be constant as an aging population and advances in medical care place demands on the need for blood.

Consistent and steady blood donations are needed year-round to meet patient need. And while the need for blood is constant, blood donations can sometimes slump.
Collecting blood during the winter, for instance, often presents a challenge since cold and snowy weather can sometimes prevent donors from making and keeping appointments.

"Your donation is needed and may give someone another day, another week, another life to spend with loved ones and friends," adds Whitman. "That's a New Year's resolution worth keeping."

Two upcoming Red Cross Blood drives are around the corner. On Saturday, Jan. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon, a drive will be held at Central Christian Church, located at 500 MacGahan St. in Huntington

Then on Sunday, Jan. 10, one will be held at Huntington Catholic School from 7:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the SS Peter and Paul Rieder Auditorium, located at 820 Cherry St.