The Red Cross needs blood. A press release on Jan. 28 announced that “Severe winter weather throughout much of the eastern half of the United States in recent weeks has caused the cancellation of more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations through the American Red Cross, more than 3,200 of which were in the Carolinas Region.”
The slowing of donations doesn’t, however, slow the need for blood: “Every two seconds a patient in the United States needs a blood transfusion. Blood is perishable and has no substitute. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days and platelets just 5 days – they must be replenished constantly.”
All types of blood are needed, but especially type O negative which is “t he preferred type for accident victims and babies needing exchange transfusions. There is always a need for Type O donors because their blood may be transfused to a person of any blood type in an emergency.” Type O positive is also in high demand because it’s the blood type of 40-percent of the population and “Patients with Type O blood must receive Type O blood.” Says one Red Cross center, “About half of all blood ordered by hospitals in our area is Type O.”
To be a donor “you must be 16 years old with parental consent or older. You must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and must not have donated blood in the past 8 weeks. Most medications won’t cause you to be deferred as a donor.”
A number of donation events are scheduled throughout the month of February. Check the list below for one close to you. If none of those dates or times work, consider donating at the Red Cross’ Asheville Fixed Donation Site at 100 Edgewood Road. Fins the hours and contact information for making an appointment here.
Bloodmobile drives in February include:
• Tuesday, Feb. 1, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at South College (29 Turtle Creek Drive, Asheville, 277-5521); also 8 a.m.-5 p.m. “Battle of the Badges” at
First Baptist Church (5 Oak St., Asheville, 258-3888 ext. 402).
• Wednesday, Feb 2, 1:30-6 p.m. at AB Tech’s Enka Campus (1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler, 704-860-8339).
• Thursday, Feb 3, 2-6:30 p.m. at Skyland UMC (1984 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, 684-7283); also 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Grove Park Inn (290 Macon Ave., Asheville, 253-0299 ext. 3004).
• Friday, Feb 4, 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Flesher’s of Fairview (3016 Cane Creek Road, Fairview, 628-2800).
• Saturday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Lowe’s Home Improvement (89 South Tunnel Road, Asheville, 299-3788).
• Sunday, Feb. 6, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (10 N. Liberty St., Asheville, 253-0043).
• Thursday, Feb. 10, 2-6:30 p.m. at Francis Asbury UMC (725 Asbury Road, Candler, 667-3950); also 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Renaissance Asheville Hotel(31 Woodfin St., Asheville, 768-1808).
• Friday, Feb. 11, 2-6:30 p.m. at Spring Mountain Community (807 Old Fort Road, Fairview, 628-2363).
• Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2-6:30 p.m. at Newfound Baptist Church (2605 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 683-3178); also 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Montreat College (310 Gaither Circle, Montreat, turpinma@montreat.edu).
• Wednesday, Feb 16, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at UNC-Asheville’s Highsmith University Center (1 University Heights, Asheville, brhuffma@unca.edu).
• Friday, Feb. 18, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at AB Technical College’s Coman Student Activity Center (340 Victoria Road, Asheville, 254-1921 ext. 377).
• Tuesday, Feb. 22, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Enka Middle School (390 Asbury Road, Candler, 670-5010).
• Friday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix (30 Town Square Blvd., Suite 220, Asheville, 654-1016); also noon-4:30 p.m. at Owen Middle School (730 Old US 70, Swannanoa, 686-7739).
• Sunday, Feb. 27, 1:30-6 p.m. at Barnardsville Baptist Church (1639 Barnardsville Highway, Barnardsville, 626-2000).
The article left out all the exclusions for blood donors. Here’s a partial list:
“WHO CAN’T GIVE BLOOD….. The rules change.
Starting in the late 70s Blood banks in the United States and some other countries began turning away Blood donors. Following below are the major reasons given for exclusion, most still in force in Blood banks, Blood donor clinics and hospitals, today:
Excluders to giving Blood in the 1980s:
Cancer AIDS Symptoms Hypodermic drug use Men having had sexual contact of any kind with another man or men since 1977.
Excluders to donating Blood in the 1990s in addition to the above:
Anyone who has had hepatitis since his or her 11th birthday Anyone who has taken pituitary growth hormone in any quantity.
Excluders to giving Blood in 2000 to the present, in addition to all of the above:
Anyone who has taken Tegison for psoriasis Anyone currently with drugs for an enlarged prostate in their system Anyone who spent three months or more in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1986 Anyone who has received Bolld by transfusion in the United Kingdom or France from 1980 through the present Anyone who has spent five years in Europe from 1980 through the present time.”
Neither my wife nor I can donate as we spent more than 5 years in Europe since 1981. C’est la vie.
That list appears to exclude half of Asheville, as well.
http://www.bloodbook.com/donr-requir.html
The American Red Cross site that deals with donor restrictions is
http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-topic
I can’t give them my precious O+ either, because they thought I had HepC, but didn’t after all.
It’s too bad there are so many exclusions but it is that way for good reason. Receiving a transfusion is risky business for anyone even if they receive 100 percent non-tainted blood. Tennis great Arthur Ashe was very unfortunate when he was transfused with HIV-tainted blood during his 1983 heart operation.
But, if you can give, please do.
I used to give blood but since I travel all over the world now I cannot … very disappointing.
I could lie like someone suggested but that is not my style.