LIMA, OH (WLIO) - A few minutes of your day could help save a life by donating blood.
January is National and Ohio Blood Donor Awareness Month and the Community Blood Center wants the public to know the importance of donating blood here locally. Right now they say it is tough to get donors, with people just getting done with the holidays and with the rise of flu and other respiratory diseases. They are currently seeing a shortage of type "O " positive and negative and "B" negative. But if you lend an arm, you could make a difference in someone's life.
"Local, local blood drive, at your local hospital," says Mark Pompilio, from Community Blood Center. "You are helping your neighbors. Yes, your blood is going to help people in the Community Blood Center hospitals. But that means that people donating all around the area are helping St. Rita's too. So it is a great partnership we are in and we are so grateful for people in the hospital because they know so much of the value of giving blood and they show it by coming out here and donating."
Donating blood can help out in three different ways, by collecting red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, patients can be helped in various ways.
That is multiple ways of helping people," adds Pompilio. "Accident victims, cancer survivors, people with chronic illnesses, people who are going through surgery, that is many many ways to change and influence and help someone live another day."
If you would like to schedule a future appointment, you can log on to donortime.com or use the Community Blood Center's app.
