Jayden Long, a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol who also is a blood donor, says that donating blood only takes an hour from start to finish and the Red Cross staff makes the process easy (photo by Roxanne Schorbach).
Pamela White’s three-year-old daughter, Victoria, was sick – very, very sick – with stage 4 cancer that had ravaged her body. The little one needed extensive surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, medications and blood transfusions. Today, she is a thriving, active college student.
Victoria needed more than a dozen blood transfusions throughout her treatment.
“I never really thought about where the blood came from. I just knew that whenever Victoria needed a blood transfusion, there was blood available,” White said.
Victoria’s mom, a North Central resident, now works for the American Red Cross.
“Until you or someone you love needs it, chances are that you never think about whether there will be blood available for a transfusion,” she added.
Blood recipients and their family members urge North Central residents to take action. “Go online to find a blood drive, make an appointment and roll up your sleeve to share what you have,” said White.
In Phoenix, Vitalant and the American Red Cross are the organizations that collect and supply blood to hospitals and clinics. Blood is obtained at the Red Cross and Vitalant fixed sites, and blood drives are also held throughout the Valley, at schools, churches and businesses. Donors can make appointments through either organization. Their websites (www.vitalant.org and www.redcrossblood.org) and donor apps provide more information about blood donation, about qualifications to donate, and how to make appointments to donate. The apps also keep track of donations and provide blood type to donors.
Like Pamela White, Todd Tamcsin was touched by the generosity of blood donors when a family member needed blood for cancer treatment.
“My younger brother had colon cancer, and I was so grateful that donors made sure that there was healthy blood available when he needed it. That was 17 years ago, and it prompted me to start donating blood regularly,” he said.
The entire process of donating blood takes about an hour, but actually giving blood takes only about 10 minutes. Check in, testing iron levels and taking vital signs, then having a snack and hydrating take about 45 minutes. Using the blood donor apps to make an appointment and answer health screening questions streamline the process.
Only three percent of eligible U.S. donors give blood, and yet blood is needed in this country every two seconds
“I am always recruiting new donors – come donate with me, then we celebrate by going to lunch,” said Tamcsin.
Many employers host blood drives at their workplaces, and they often give their employees time away from work to donate.
“We always need more blood drive sponsors,” said Colin Williams, American Red Cross. “We are here to help organize the drive in your organization. Just contact us to learn more about how to do it.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets requirements designed to keep the nation’s blood supply safe. The FDA, Vitalant and American Red Cross Blood websites list standards the donors must meet, including medications that prohibit donors from giving blood. In general, donors must feel well on the day of their donation. There is no waiting period to donate for those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine or seasonal flu vaccine if all other requirements are met.
The check-in process requires a quick finger prick to determine iron level. Blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature are taken. Screening questions are asked in a confidential questionnaire, and all these steps help determine the health of the donor. In Arizona, where tattoo and piercing services are required to use single-use supplies (no multi-use ink supplies or needles), there is no waiting period after a tattoo or piercing to donate blood. Minimum age here is 16 with parental consent, and there is no upper age limit.
“I guarantee you’ll be glad you donated,” Tamcsin said. “You’ll be helping somebody who really, really needs something that only another human can share, and that is life-saving blood.”
