Red Cross Issues Emergency Blood Appeal

FARMINGTON –– What a difference two years can make.

On January 9, 2002, the American Red Cross, Connecticut Blood Services Region had more than 5,600 units of red blood cells tested and available to be transfused for any hospital patient in the state’s 31 urgent care hospitals.

Back then, no chemotherapy patient needed to wait for a transfusion. No mother needed to worry about whether her child’s lifesaving surgery would proceed. Accident victims were treated immediately, with patient needs for the universal blood type, O-Negative, being met without hesitation.

Now fast forward to January 9, 2004. The number of available red cell units at the Red Cross in Farmington stood at just 262, and the Connecticut Region struggles to answer patient demand for blood as supply dwindles. Today, Connecticut is on the brink of disaster with blood bank shelves nearly bare. Perhaps past blood donors believe there is no real reason to get out and donate blood.

But there are real reasons –– hundreds of them each day in Connecticut alone. Each reason is a patient, waiting for a transfusion. While the need for blood is not always a front-page story, that need is always present, and is likely to be unexpected. Imagine being in an emergency room following an accident, and hearing the doctor say, “I’m sorry. We could have saved your child, but there was no donated blood available.” No doctor should have to say that. No parent should have to hear it. No one should have to die because of a lack of blood. Yet Connecticut stands dangerously close to that possibility.

This week marks the start of an emergency appeal for blood donations in Connecticut. Regular donors and new donors are all being called upon to help now by making and keeping an appointment to donate blood. It takes a strong partnership between the community and the American Red Cross, Connecticut Region to continue to serve the lifesaving transfusion needs of hospital patients.

Most healthy people who are at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more are eligible to donate every 56 days. To make an appointment for an area Red Cross blood drive, call 800-GIVE LIFE (800-448-3543), or visit www.bloodct.org to find a listing of community blood drives.