SAN ANTONIO – Here is your chance to not be a Grinch and make things right before the end of the year by donating blood. All blood donors in December will receive a “Don’t be a Grinch” T-shirt as a thank you for helping local patients in need.
Blood centers across the nation, including South Texas Blood & Tissue, a subsidiary of Bio-Bridge Global, see drastic decreases in donations during the holidays, when donors are on vacation and school blood drives are on hold. Less than 3 percent of the eligible U.S. population donates blood, but every two seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion.
Type O blood and platelets are the most-needed blood types. While all blood types are important, the demand is especially high for O-negative donors as they make up just 8% of the population, but O-negative blood can be transfused to any patient in emergency situations. Platelets, which have a shelf life of only five days, are often used for cancer patients, as well as in emergencies.