In honor of January being blood donor month, our team talked to a director of an American Red Cross from Indiana who is a survivor of COVID-19 about how it’s especially important for people like her to be donating right now.
Even though it's Blood Donor Month, the Red Cross in Indiana says that there’s still a nation-wide shortage of donations. With the pandemic making it hard to plan blood drives, and the winter months making it even harder for people to get to Red Cross sites, people aren’t donating as much this season.
Kristin Marlow, the director of the American Red Cross in Indiana says, “The need is still constant, there’s always a constant need for blood donations of all blood types and with donations trending down in the winter, and needs staying constant, it creates a shortage.”
Not only is regular blood donations needed, but the Red Cross is also looking for convalescent plasma which is only found in the blood of people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Now that we are in a critical need for convalescent plasma, that plasma piece of donating a unit of blood has the opportunity to potentially save the life of someone who is battling covid,” says Marlow. She was able to have a full recovery from being sick with COVID-19. Now, she can donate convalescent plasma in her blood that will help others who are battling the virus.
Marlow says, “It’s going to allow an individual that is more critically ill than I was to be able to utilize the antibodies in my blood to help their blood build and support their own immune system.”
Currently, every blood donation is being tested for convalescent plasma, and those who knowingly have the plasma can do a direct donation with higher volumes of plasma taken.
Donating during the month of January could score you a seat at next year’s Super Bowl. Anyone who donates this month will be entered in a raffle to win a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. To find a local blood drive or to register for one, head to redcross.org.
