ATLAS TOWNSHIP-What lies down when they give, is only allowed to come back every 56 days and gives one of the most crucial gifts ever?
The answer – blood donors. St. Mark’s Catholic Church hosted another American Red Cross blood drive Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Each donor gives one pint of blood. The parish hosts blood drives every two months and met their goal of 40 pints this time.
Parish nurse Karen Thornton said, “There is usually a big turnout of people that want to donate. I always make sure that someone has had something to eat beforehand and I bring in home made soup and bread for them to sit down after they have given.”
Laurel Perkins, one of many Red Cross nurses on staff, said the blood stays in this area. “The blood bank is like a supply and demand. We take it wherever it needs to go in Michigan the next day. If people didn’t actually come in to do this, we would be in trouble.”
The day in the life of a blood bag is as follows: The donor’s history is completed and properly screened. The donor then gives blood, which is transported to a lab where the blood is tested for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS antibodies. The blood is then generally separated into platelets, red cells and plasma. The blood is labeled and stored and immediately transported to a hospital.
“It’s a small price to pay to help someone,” said Thornton.
According to the American Red Cross, 4 million people need blood every year. That’s one patient every 12 seconds. People are eligible to donate blood every eight weeks, which drastically increases the chances for a recipient to be well and healthy.
Although blood donations are widely used in automobile accidents and major surgeries, another 50 percent of recipients use the donations on a daily basis for transfusions; that includes many of the elderly patients at a hospital.
“I try to make the public aware by putting the Red Cross truck in front of the parish, the media and various signs throughout town,” Thornton said.
Every donor who gave blood in this drive put their name into a raffle that entitles them a chance to win a free month membership to Total Body Fitness in Goodrich. Not only does the donor feel good about giving, but there’s a chance to keep the blood even healthier.
The next blood drive will be March 25 at the parish, followed by another May 20.