Blood drive Friday at The Messenger office

Make Friday the day you help save a life.

You might even get lucky and win $3,000 for the effort.

The Hartsville Messenger will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bloodmobile will be stationed in the parking lot of the newspaper’s office, located at 207 East Carolina Ave. Walk-ins are welcome, but to save time please visit www.redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment. Click the schedule an appointment icon and enter the sponsor code Messenger.

Everyone who donates today will receive a free t-shirt.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. The Red South Carolina Blood Services Region provides life-saving blood to 54 hospitals and must have 500 people give blood and platelets each weekday to meet hospital demand. Accident victims, as well as patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders and other illnesses receive lifesaving transfusions every day. There is no substitute for blood and volunteer donors are the only source.

Type O negative

The supply of type O negative blood at the American Red Cross has dropped to critically low levels. Type O negative blood is always in high demand because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type, especially in emergency situations. Type O negative donors are needed now to help prevent the type O negative blood supply from declining further. 

“The American Red Cross is reaching out to eligible blood donors, sponsors and community leaders to ask them to help recruit type O negative blood donations to help meet the needs of patients in our community,” says Jamie Muldrow, spokesperson for the American Red Cross South Carolina Blood Services Region.

While all blood types are needed during the summer months, the Red Cross urges those eligible donors with O negative blood type to make and keep appointments in the upcoming days to help restore the blood supply.    

A shortage of type O negative blood often occurs during the summer months when fewer donors are giving because of summer vacations and schools approaching summer break are hosting fewer drives.

Give and win

Bills this summer making you sweat? Donate blood during the American Red Cross “Super Summer Save” campaign, running now through July 31, for your chance to win one of two $3,000 American Express gift cards useable toward rent, mortgage payments, food or gas, and take a break from what’s breaking the bank.

Thousands of people donate blood in our area each year, and their generous gift has saved countless lives. But the need for blood is constant. During the summer season, the blood supply often suffers, as many donors are on vacation or participating in seasonal activities. With drives held every week throughout South Carolina, there are countless opportunities for donors to take a little time out of their schedules to donate a unit of blood and save the lives of up to three people.

“The past several months have been challenging,” said Delisa English, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross South Carolina Blood Services Region, “but blood donors have still been coming out to help people in our community and across the country. We hope this trend will continue through the summer and that people will see donating blood as an opportunity to give back without having to reach into their wallets.”

Blood can be safely donated every 56 days.  Platelets can be given safely every two weeks, up to 24 times a year. Most healthy people age 17 and older, 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood and platelets.  Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet specific height and weight requirements.

opportunities for donors to take a little time out of their schedules to donate a unit of blood and save the lives of up to three people.