Blood Assurance counts on blood donors all year and is encouraging donors to give in honor of Mother’s Day this year. Blood Assurance has been in critical need for several months with no signs of that changing. Amanda Knox, a mother of two, was saved by blood donors when she was just a young girl in the year 2000.
Amanda contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in 2000. The illness is uncommon in this area and doctors struggled to diagnose her. During that time, she fell into a coma for twelve days. Without the help of blood donors, Amanda would not be here today. After receiving many pints of blood and platelets, Amanda was able to make a full recovery and is now a mother of two.
“I was bleeding internally everywhere and my liver and kidneys shut down,” Amanda said recalling her experience. “Blood Assurance stepped in and saved the day by reaching out to the community to pull in blood for me. There’s a lot of people that don’t know me and I don’t know them, but I lead a normal life now thanks to them. Without those donors I wouldn’t be here. It’s very important for people to give.”
Patients like Amanda need blood donors every day. Whether it is traumas, illnesses, or childbirth, they count on blood donors in this community. Blood Assurance is encouraging everyone to donate in the month of May in honor of all patients and especially mothers.
All type O donors will receive a $10 Amazon card when they give for a limited time. Donors of other types will receive a T-shirt and all donors who give twice in 2021 will be entered to win a side-by-side vehicle.
To schedule an appointment to give whole blood please call 800.962.0628 or visit www.bloodassurance.org/schedule. To schedule an appointment to give platelets or plasma, call 800-962-0628 to be directed to your center or contact your local center directly.
Blood Assurance is continuing to take extra precautions at this time to ensure the safety of donors and staff. Staff and donors are required to wear masks and staff are frequently disinfecting all items and surfaces used by donors. Blood donation is essential to the infrastructure of healthcare and the only way to ensure patients have the blood they need is for people to donate. Blood cannot be manufactured and all blood used in community hospitals is from volunteer donors. Donors who have received a Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible to donate blood with no waiting period. Blood donated by individuals who have received the vaccine is completely safe for patient transfusion.
To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.
Please join our FREE Newsletter
