As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Vitalant is urging all who are eligible to give thanks for their good health, give blood or platelets and help patients who don’t get a holiday from needing blood transfusions. As a special thank you, all donors who give with Vitalant Nov. 9-Dec. 5 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card* and be entered into a weekly drawing for 1 of 4 Amazon.com Gift Cards* valued between $500-$1,500.**
Donors of all blood types needed to end critical blood shortage
The pandemic continues to impact the number of people donating blood. In fact, 92,000 fewer donors have visited Vitalant blood drives over the past year than the previous year. All blood types are critically needed, especially type O and platelet donations. Type O is often needed in emergencies and for routine lifesaving surgeries, cancer treatments and more. About half of all platelet donations support cancer patients. Platelets, which help form blood clots and stop bleeding, also help those living with blood disorders and undergoing open-heart surgery and transplants.
Donate during National Prematurity Awareness Month, help even the tiniest patients
Premature infants commonly need blood transfusions to fight anemia and other complications. Maddox was born several weeks early and received a blood transfusion during his two-month stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“To know that the kind of blood he needed was readily available was comforting,” said Maddox’s mom, Anya. “We will always be grateful for all the people who played a part in his recovery. It's heartwarming to know that people readily volunteer to give their blood to help complete strangers, like my son.”
Maddox is now a healthy kid, who will turn six years old during National Prematurity Awareness Month.
How to Donate Blood
There’s no waiting period to donate blood after receiving a COVID vaccine or flu shot. Learn about eligibility requirements and make an appointment at vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL.
About Vitalant
Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood services provider exclusively focused on providing lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medicine services for about 900 hospitals and their patients across the U.S. Every day, Vitalant needs to collect about 5,300 blood, platelet and plasma donations to help save lives. For more information and to schedule a donation appointment, visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
*Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal.
**Terms and conditions apply.