The Ultimate Gift
Karen and George Hepburn in the donor chair
As we enter into the month of December we look forward to celebrations and time spent with family. Unfortunately, for many local families, the Holidays will be spent in a hospital or with a sick loved one. One of the greatest gifts this season is to be a blood donor. Every year, millions of lives are saved by blood transfusions, and the only source of this life-saving resource is people!
Blood donations typically drop during the holidays due to busy schedules, while the need remains constant. This can make the supply vulnerable to shortage. The American Red Cross needs approximately 1000 units of blood each day to meet the needs of patients and hospitals in our area. An accident victim can use as much as 100 units of blood, a liver transplant patient can use 10-20 units, premature babies, pregnant mothers and those with chronic diseases such as sickle cell disease all depend on a safe and adequate blood supply. Each whole blood donation can touch the lives of up to THREE patients.
Last week Dynasplint colleagues became part of the solution by hosting our very own American Red Cross blood drive. Thanks to each donor, it was a huge success as we collected 38 units and saved at least 144 lives.