Hello Dear Readers!

On our list of inspirations on community building and service, the Red Cross has always been on the top. Hailee and I usually mention the American Red Cross every time we promote blood donation and donor awareness topics. Blood donation aside, the Red Cross has been every country’s refuge in times of natural calamities and disasters.

But hey, there are still lots of things you need to know about the American Red Cross and we came across an article about unknown facts about our beloved organization. Read on, it was so awesome we just had to share this with you!

1. Red Cross is older than Modern Blood Transfusions
The American Red Cross was two decades older than the modern blood transfusions. The ARC was founded in 1881, in the time when doctors were still trying to use cow’s and goat’s milk as a substitute for human blood. Modern blood transfusions, on the other hand, began in the 1900′s and it was during these times that the need for compatible blood types was enforced. In 1907, the first cross-match blood transfusion happened, and in 1947, donated blood started to be tested regularly for syphilis.

2. Red Cross Has Always Supported the Military
Since 1980 up until now, the Red Cross has been a supporter of United States soldiers. They have been providing supplies, emergency communications services, moral support of troops and medical aid during the Spanish-American war, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, Korean War and many more. The Red Cross also extends assistance to veterans and military families by supporting emergency communication services and verifying and relaying important information.

3. Red Cross was Founded by a Woman
That’s right, the American Red Cross, the non-profit organization that helps alleviate suffering, was founded by a woman named Clara Barton. Barton was first a teacher who eventually became known as a battlefield nurse during the Civil War. Barton became involved with the International Red Cross organization in 1869 while traveling in Switzerland. She empowered women because at a time only a few women worked outside the walls of their homes or outside of their farms.  What Clara did was show people that they can help the community while providing for their families. There is nothing like a woman’s touch to nurture and comfort in times of trouble.

Red Cross has an App for any disaster

4. Red Cross has FREE apps for your need
The folks from Red Cross have kept up with the times and that they have mobile apps that will come in handy in every disaster! Whether it’s an earthquake or wildfire, the apps assist you in preparing emergency kits, notify you of disaster warnings and educate you on the step-by-step procedures to follow what to do when disasters happen. The apps are complete with maps of shelters and a feature to inform loved ones that you’re safe. The best thing about this is the Red Cross Apps are available for both Android and Apple phones for FREE! Where else can you find a service as amazing as this?!

5. Red Cross is not just about Blood Donation
The American Red Cross,  is one of the international entities waving the Red Cross banner. All over the world volunteers provide disaster relief, supplies and education to communities around the world. The ARC extends a hand to those who are affected by tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, explosions, fire and disasters wherever in the world you may be. The ARG also has volunteer work for animal lovers and their pets. You and your precious pet can become heroes to anyone with an injury or illness by participating in training curricula for animal assisted therapy programs.

Cool, isn’t it? BloodBanker would like to thank Richard Console for the awesome article Five Things You Didn’t Know About the Red Cross. Click the link to check out more about The Red Cross.

When a rare blood disease hit Brandi Lewis five years ago, it robbed her of a healthy life and days of playing soccer.

Like most patients stricken with aplastic anemia (AA), Brandi was feeling the effects of her red blood cells dying out. Red blood cells are rich in hemoglobin that makes sure the blood carries oxygen all over the body. Unknowingly, Brandi’s body was reacting to the lack of red blood cells carrying a small amount of much needed oxygen. Her heart works double time to get the small amount of oxygen throughout the body.

At this point, it is quite normal to think that dizzy spells and a fast heartbeat means stress. Our body has ways of raising red flags that could mean the whole spectrum of illness, at this point no one would ever have thought she got one of the worst cases of anemia.

After unsuccessfully trying to draw blood, the nurses in the infirmary decided she was too dehydrated for them to draw blood. Though weak, she still attended dance practice then went to the local hospital in Florence, Alabama to get her blood tested. After getting blood drawn, she goes back to her dorm to lie down, not knowing that in the next 2 hours her life was about to change.

The next events in Brandi’s life came quick: she had an immediate blood transfusion at the Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital where her best friend, Meggin, took her. She was met by nurses and a doctor who informed her of her illness and that she needed a transfusion right away. The doctor went on to say that the level of blood she has in her body was not enough for her to function properly.

We all don’t see it but blood makes us able to function properly. Blood transports the oxygen from the lungs to the other the cells of the body. A drop in blood levels make your body oxygen-hungry making it sluggish and the brain function slower.

When a person is diagnosed with a blood disorder, a battery of tests is done to measure the levels of change a patient’s blood goes through.

Brandi was sent home after 3 days in the hospital and it was decided that her checkups will continue in her hometown in Birmingham, Alabama. This is where Dr. Goodwin, a doctor specializing in blood disorders, had just moved to the area a couple of months before she started getting sick. An appointment with the doctor at UAB, Brandi’s sickness now had a name: Aplastic Anemia.

Aplastic Anemia or AA is a rare blood disorder where bone marrow doesn’t make enough new blood cells. This is so rare that it occurs only in 1-2 persons per year for every million people in the USA.

There is no cure for AA and had to get chemo-like treatments and a lot of blood and platelet transfusions 2-3 times a week to keep her in sufficient blood level.

Aplastic Anemia occurs mostly in the teens, twenties and also among the elderly. Brandi was only 18 years old when she was diagnosed with AA, but she’s a fighter and continued to battle the disease.

If not for blood and platelet donors, Brandi wouldn’t have been the first African-American to win the Miss University of North Alabama in 2011 or be a UNA graduate the next year.

Brandi’s encounter with many oncology and blood disorder patients at the Children’s Hospital inspired her so much, and with the love and support from people around her, Brandi felt it’s time to give back.

Brandi Lewis with her family and friends

Just this March 2013, she created Brandi’s Blessings, a non-profit foundation dedicated to spreading awareness of the different types of blood disorders that affect people in the world. The board of directors consists of her family members because they all have grown passionate about helping others with blood disorders.

“AA showed me another side of the world. I began to feel bad just complaining about small things that went on in my life. Now I see that there is so much more to life than sweating the small stuff. I don’t know if I was given AA as a purpose, but after seeing many cases at Children’s Hospital, I wanted to turn my disorder into something positive.”

Brandi is one of those survivors who wanted to turn their test into a testimony. Having experienced aplastic anemia made her realize how important each waking day is and how big small things can be.

Brandi’s website

Heavy rains in Texas over the weekend caused huge power outrages in Houston and forced marchers in San Antonio’s Fiesta Flambeau parade to halt.

Floods in Texas area

Storms resulted to heavy rainfall and hail on the Greater Houston area while an annual parade in San Antonio was stopped as only two-thirds of the groups participating completed the parade route.

Moreover, hails as big as golf balls have also been cited in parts of Houston while several streets are closed in Harris County and Fort Bent County.

Because of the flooding, the Houston fire chief responded to 150 phone calls for assistance which were mostly from drivers who were stranded or whose vehicles were stalled out in rapid-moving water.

A local newspaper reported that no deaths were associated with the flash flood.

We would want to remind everybody to keep safe wherever they are and be knowledgeable of what to do when disasters happen.

Although natural calamities can be predicted by modern technology, sometimes we have no way of telling the real damage once it hits us. Therefore, we need to have back-up plans and let our family members know what they are so in case a calamity hit us, we already what to do and where to go to. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Similarly, we hope that our hospitals and blood banks have enough blood supplies before natural calamities like storms and flash floods strike our areas.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Iran-Pakistan border on Tuesday, it was so strong it killed 35 people in neighboring Pakistan and shook buildings as far away as India and Gulf Arab States.

According to reports, there were 35 fatalities in a single village in Pakistan and more than 1,000 houses, which were mostly made of mud brick, in Pakistani areas have been partially destroyed.

Iran, on the other hand, reported no casualties on their side.

The epicenter of the quake was measured at 51 miles below ground, which was likely the reason for Iran’s relatively low level of damage.

The recent earthquake was the biggest quake since 1990 where it had a 7.7 magnitude and was the strongest in 40 years.

The quake’s impact reached over from New Delhi, which is about 1,500 km from the epicenter, and to Gulf Cities like Dubai where the world’s tallest skyscrapers stand.

No one ever knows when disasters strike anywhere, and here in BloodBanker we believe it is better to be safe than sorry. Here are some tips on how you can be ready for any disaster:

1. Prepare for Evacuation. You must know where to go to should you need to leave your house. It may be in your nearest relative’s place or a friend’s. Plan ahead what to bring and how to get there. It is also important that you make a backup plan in case your primary route of destination won’t work. Make sure that everyone in the family knows the location of your meeting places and who to look for. For those who have cars or other vehicles, keep at least half-tank of gas in it. It would be better to bring weather-resistant clothing and shoes.
2. Secure Documents. Important documents are the ones that should be secured in one waterproof bag. Keeping it in the same place where you keep your emergency stuff will make it easy to grab-and-go bag. By imporstant documents we mean: identification cards, birth and marriage certificates, property deeds, insurance claims, prescriptions and even pictures of family members so you have something to show to first responders in case anyone gets lost.
3. Medications and Toiletries. Make sure you have prepared medicines for your family (for headache, toothache, fever, coughs, colds, etc). Put baby formula and personal hygiene such as toilet paper, toothbrush, sanitary napkins in waterproof containers.
4. Ready list of family contact info. Cellphones are helpful but they are of no value when batteries are drained. Therefore, keep a card with an updated list of family and friends’ contact info in your wallet all the time.

How to get ready for disasters

Natural calamities can happen anytime, so disaster preparedness is the key to saving ourselves. It is best to keep tuned to news updates on TV or social media to know what is happening around us and can lead us to better understanding on what and what not to do when tragedy strikes.

But it is not enough to secure our safety and those close to us. We can extend our help even to strangers in more invaluable ways. How? By giving blood.

Last Monday, over 130 were injured and 3 were killed in two successive bomb explosions during the Boston Marathon. Many were severely wounded but thanks to the generous donors who gave blood ahead of time, the Red Cross said they have enough blood supplies to treat the victims.

The Boston Marathon Bombing incident proved how important it is to have enough blood supplies at hospitals and blood banks. I do hope that every blood bank around the world has sufficient blood supplies too, so when undesirable events took us by surprise and jeopardize people’s lives, we always have the means to attend to their needs and save them whatever it takes.

April 15 is a state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine as they celebrate Patriots’ Day, but the supposed day of merrymaking turned out to be a day of chaos and terror for the athletes, spectators who were there and the rest of us who helplessly watched the news.

There were 2 powerful explosions that detonated before and at the finish line of the  Boston’s Back Bay Station. After the quick succession of bombing, people hurriedly went to the victims’ aid as they lay on the sidewalk while participants got jarred with the force of the explosion. Victims lay unconscious, shocked, injured and badly bleeding- some had limbs torn off. The dead included an 8-year-old child, while the Children’s Hospital reported 4 victims who are from ages 2 to 12.

The Red Cross and Google have put up Safe and Well  and Person Finder pages for anyone to use and check on family or people we know who were in Boston.

Boston Marathon Bombing killed 3 people and injured 130 more.

Still we persevere.

What made such an impression on me was how officers and volunteers worked their way in the barricades to get to the wounded and dying. It gave me goose bumps, not just because someone did this horrible act but also seeing how self preservation wasn’t going through the minds of these people.

By the way, along with the American Red Cross, we are grateful to the heroes who made their way to the donation centers to give a pint. Hours after the bombing The Red Cross sent out this Tweet:

“Thanks to generosity of volunteer blood donors there is currently enough blood on the shelves to meet demand. #BostonMarathon”

One thing worth mentioning is that, let’s not wait for another tragedy of this magnitude to continue donating blood. Everyday, blood products are used by a lot of people, some of them would be dead without it. We can’t thank you enough guys!

Here is a list of donation centers:

Boston Donation Center
274 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

Braintree Blood Donation Center
170 Forbes Road
Braintree, MA 02184

Dedham Blood Donation Center
180 Rustcraft Road
Suite 115
Dedham, MA 02026

North Shore Blood Donation Center
99 Rosewood Drive
Danvers, MA 01923

Raynham Blood Donation Center
275 New State Hwy (Rte 44)
Raynham, MA 02767

Springfield Blood Donation Center
3500 Main Street
Springfield, MA 01107

Worcester Blood Donation Center
381 Plantation Street
Five Biotech, Suite 110
Worcester, MA 01605

This is why we will never get tired of reminding people the importance of blood donation. We hope we always have enough blood supplies in the shelves because we never know when we might need them.

Between 1991-1995, a plasmapheresis campaign was organized by the Henan provincial government in China to have residents give plasma in exchange for money. The campaign called “Blood Plasma Economy” attracted over 3 million people, who were mostly peasants. The program’s success was due to the high demand by biotech companies.

Despite the success, a terrible scandal brought an ugly end to this campaign. Because of poor safety standards, an estimated 40-60% of people have subsequently contracted AIDS in the mid ’90s. And almost after a decade since it broke out, an estimated 1.2 million people had been infected with AIDS in Henan Province alone in 2003.

But how did China come to a terrible fate that affected a huge number of its population? Who should be blamed for it and how can they recover from such health scandal that scarred the country’s reputation?

How AIDS has spread in China

History of the Blood Plasma Trade in China
China adopted a paid blood system from 1949 to the late 70′s in which during those years, blood from clinics was acquired through a sell-and-buy relationship. It was only in the 1980s that China started to encourage people to donate blood for free. But it seemed that people are more motivated to give a pint when there’s money involved. Though this practice effectively reduced the transfer of infectious diseases, it was unsuccessful and failed to bring in more donors.

Less local blood donors meant more imported blood products. Because of this, almost all blood products used in Chinese hospitals were imported before the 1990′s. But health issues in developed countries prompted the Chinese government to limit or halt blood products importation such as human blood albumin, plasma, globulin and hemoblast.

Therefore, China saw an out-pour of foreign investment, technology and equipment to establish and support blood product enterprises into the country in the early 1990s. The province that took a leading position in establishing plasmapheresis stations was Henan, which was China’s poorest and most populous province.

The first decade of the 90′s saw the booming of plasma economy in China. From 1993-1994, the plasmapheresis industry in Henan served as the way for peasants make money and fight poverty.

Promises of extra penny lured the residents to tap their veins and thus lined up almost every day for years to make donations. Vans were turned into mini-clinics; people sold extra if there was an upcoming marriage or if they wanted to build a house. One local resident admitted to making four donations in a single day.

Money had truly driven these people to push themselves to their limits. Little did they know there was a consequence waiting and a price to be paid.

Spread of AIDS through Plasmapheresis
And because selling plasma was the only sensible way for peasants to earn money during those times, more and more people queued in plasma centers and rolled up their sleeves as often as they could.

When selling plasma, the donor undergoes a process called “plasmapheresis”, where blood plasma is taken from the body, while the remaining blood parts such as platelets and red blood cells are sent back to the body. First, the whole blood enters the centrifuge, the machine separates the blood into its different parts (plasma, red blood cells and platelets), takes the plasma then returns the remaining parts into the donor’s body.

The blood plasma taken will be sold to pharmaceutical companies to produce life-saving plasma-derived therapies for a range of chronic, rare and genetic diseases. Since most of the donors were uneducated farmers, the plasma centers had low health and safety standards, and lacked proper sterilization procedures. To cut costs, some stations mixed many bloods in the same centrifuge and the needles, blood bags and other instruments and containers which had direct contact with human blood were recycled. This poor sanitation practice resulted to blood contamination that led to the advent of the AIDS outbreak in China.

Nobody gets the blame
The infamous AIDS epidemic outbreak in some provinces in China was worthy of a serious investigation, but what angered most victims and affected families were the Chinese government’s indifference towards the issue.

Activists and victims complained that not a single official was penalized for his role in the plasma trade. Instead, anyone who would come out in the open to voice their grievance are the ones who got punished.

An article from The Guardian dating back in 2003 revealed that some HIV-positive villagers were arrested and beaten for attempting to draw attention to their dilemma, health officials were harassed and sued for disclosing information, and local print reporters were fired for struggling to publish the truth.

A Chinese activist by the name of Li Xige, who was infected by HIV from a transfusion during caesarean operation, was placed under house arrest in December 2006 after protesting outside the health ministry in Beijing in July. A famous writer named Yan Lianke wrote a semi-fictional novel based on visits to an AIDS village in Henan but his book was banned in a secret order issued by the government as soon as it arrived in bookstores in 2006. A 79 year-old retired doctor, Gao Yaojie, who was helpful in exposing the extent of Henan’s HIV infection and now takes a big role in private relief efforts for Henan’s HIV carriers, said she believed her telephone was tapped and was worried that someone might kill her.

Criticism of Chinese Government’s Lack of Action
The Chinese government was criticized for being passive and having little concern about the AIDS outbreak in the early 1990s.

In February 2003, the country received $30 million from the Global Fund to Fight tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS, but the budget allocated was used only for the prevention of TB and malaria because the sleeping giant insisted on having only about 30,000 AIDS victims in its population.

A blogger also questioned the Chinese government’s lack of interest and political will to enforce proper regulation requirements and standard health protocols on blood collection units even if they have the power and resources to do it. Instead of taking immediate action, it took almost 6 years for local governments to close the illegal blood and plasma centers in the area.

More plasma centers closed in China
An article on South China Morning Post published in August 2012 reported that Guizhou province has closed 80% of its blood collection. The closure of plasma centers in the province, which supplies almost 30% of China’s blood plasma, raises assumptions of pre-emptive measure to keep history from repeating itself.

Chang Kun, an AIDS activist, supported the government’s action and said it’s better to lock them down before something serious happens. But a local health department official said that the adjustment was a regular change that happens every 3 years and the significant reduction in the number of blood collection sites was purposely done to keep the Guizhou residents in better health. It has been reported earlier that county governments had planned to close plasma centers because there had been irregularities in the province such as too much plasma collection, frequent collection and low criteria for plasma donors.

Conclusion
The AIDS epidemic in China is something that could have been avoided if plasma centers had been responsible and careful enough in implementing proper health sanitation. There’s nothing we can do now to alter the situation. Many have already died from a disease they never knew they had and many are still suffering from a fate they never chose to take. The best we can do is to learn from the lessons “Plasma Economy Campaign” has taught us: that plasma centers must prioritize the safety of its donors over profit and plasma donors must learn their limitations in plasma donation.

With this, we have come to the conclusion that proper education among plasma donors is imperative. Plasma centers must give lectures or explain to the donors the benefits and effects of plasma donation to their bodies before signing them up for donation. Donors must be fully aware where their plasma will be used – that it’s for creating life-saving products for patients with blood disorders – in that way, they would donate plasma not just for monetary reasons but because they know they could help.

We are not discouraging potential and regular plasma donors to give plasma, we are just here to stress the importance of practicing safe plasma donation procedures to protect both the donors and the recipients. After all, health is still wealth.

April 2013 marks the 100th  year of accomplishments for the American Cancer Society!

Cancer patients, their families and communities have the reason to celebrate and be grateful for what this nationwide voluntary health organization has done for the country for a generation.

The American Cancer Society has withstood the test of time and has brought relief and support for all the cancer patients in the country. More than 1 million people get cancer each year in the United States. For 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has tirelessly worked hard to save lives and make a world with less cancer and more birthdays. It has also achieved an astonishing amount in terms of research and breakthroughs in cancer.

ASC has funded 46 Nobel Peace Prize laureates including Paul Berg (who made contributions to basic research invlolving nucleic acids), James D. Watson (co-discoverer of the DNA structure), E. Donnall Thomas (co-developer of cell and organ transplantation) and Marion Capecchi (co-discoverer of knockout mice).

American Cancer Society 100th year

What does the American Cancer Society really do?
Dedicated to eliminating cancer, The American Cancer Society was established in 1913 by 15 physicians and businessmen in New York. It was first called “The American Society for the Control of Cancer” (ASCC), but it was changed into American Cancer Society (ACS) in 1945. It is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 900 offices throughout the country, including Puerto Rico.

ACS’s central mission is to destroy cancer, the disease that has affected countless of lives. They call themselves as the “Official Sponsor of Birthdays” because nearly 14 million cancer survivors are celebrating their birthdays this year! That’s sooo much reason to celebrate indeed!

But the 100th year celebration of American Cancer Society is not just about the astounding men and women who had contributions to the fields of science and medicine. It’s not just a celebration of triumph over death for the cancer survivors who made it this far.

This year is also a celebration for the heroism of the equally amazing selfless and nameless people who have helped add years to each cancer patient’s life.

Blood Donors Celebrate!

Cancer patient’s treatments are no complete without the pints of blood donated by blood donors.

Cancer Patients need Blood Products

Cancer patients need blood products, too. In fact, they use more blood products than patients with other diseases. Blood transfusions are a necessity after going through chemotherapy.

Some cancer treatments, (digestive system cancer, for example) cause internal bleeding, which can lead to anemia. Patients who have anemia may require red blood cell transfusions because they don’t have enough red blood cells to transport oxygen to all of the cells in the body. Leukemia and other forms of cancer that start or spread in the bone marrow may force out the normal blood-making cells and can lead to low blood counts.

Why YOUR Donation Counts

Red blood cell or platelet transfusions are needed in performing major surgery (ie. cancer cell and tumor removal) since blood loss is a common occurrence.  Hospitals have to reschedule operations if compatible donor units are not available for the patient.

Platelets play an important part of a patient’s clotting process. Chemotherapy or radiation can damage the platelet-producing bone marrow cells that’s why platelet transfusions are used by cancer patients whose bone marrow is just not making enough.

Plasma helps make blood clot and contains antibodies which help fight infection. Plasma is given to patients with bleeding disorders because their blood is not clotting the way it should. Cancer patients also use plasma (fresh frozen plasma in particular) if they have Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a rare and serious disorder in which proteins that control blood clotting over active.

See how blood products are keeping cancer patients a-ok? That’s why the American Cancer Society believes that every birthday you celebrate is a victory as it marks another year that the cancer has not prevailed.

On the American Cancer Society’s website, testimonials of how cancer survivors’ lives have changed after beating the disease give us so much inspiration and zeal to go on living.

These wonderful people, who perhaps had once thought of succumbing to the disease they never asked for, have turned themselves into symbols of hope and faith, and are now advocates of living life a full life.

But let us know that they are not alive today just because of faith and medical miracles. Part of what keeps them going is because someone out there gave what they could, a pint can mean a BIG difference.

Blood donors play a vital role to the lives of the many cancer patients, not just in our country, but all over the world. If you haven’t thought of blood donation before, then maybe this article can convince you to be one now. Statistics show that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 13% of all deaths in 2008. The good news is, everyone can take part in helping save lives through blood donation.

Though the research for a cancer cure remains restless in the medical community, ordinary people like YOU can choose to help make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. Whether you know someone battling against any form of cancer or not, you can be a hero by becoming a blood donor! It’s in you to save a life, one pint at a time!

Altogether, we can help create a world of more birthdays!

Every March 17, countries all over the world celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. It is the feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who is known for bringing Christianity to the country. According to biographies of him, he is said to have used the shamrock or a clover to explain the idea of the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. He died on March 17, 461 and was regarded as the principal champion of Christianity in Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated feast days in the world. It was originally celebrated in Ireland, but it spread in some parts of the world where there are strong Irish communities such as Argentina, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Montserrat, New Zealand and Australia, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland and United States.

This feast day is associated with everything Irish: from anything green or gold to shamrocks and luck. That’s why people bring out everything GREEN and do everything Irish : wear green, eat green clover-shaped cookies, drink green beer or dress up like a Leprechaun . Other people in the US like New York, Indiana and Chicago would even take it as far as dying their rivers, canals and fountains with color green to add a fun touch to the celebration.

Why GREEN?

Green became the official color of Saint Patrick’s Day because it’s one of the colors of Ireland’s flag and the country is known as “Emerald Isle” for its lush green landscape. They say anyone not wearing green should be ready to get pinched by Leprechauns as folklore would have it.

Give Blood On Saint Patrick’s Day

Making This Green Day an Awesome One

Saint Patrick’s Day has been a large and popular celebration of centuries now and people eagerly wait and participate in this event. Want to do something that would make Saint Patrick’s Day more memorable? This day is a celebration of the life the dedication of a saint, why not do something incredible and life-changing by giving a pint!

American Red Cross blood drives for March 17 all over the country don’t miss the chance to save lives on Saint Patrick’s Day! Our country still needs more blood donations because the flu season and winter weather have both taken a toll on the nation’s blood supplies.

Spending Saint Patrick’s Day on a blood donation center, seriously?

Bring Irish playfulness to the blood drive to truly feel the moment. Spend time helping out the community with family and friends and take a trip to the blood bank- don’t forget to wear green.

Be awesome and give blood to help someone. Choose to save lives on March 17th, see you there.

It’s the 2nd week of March and it’s the 3rd month of the year! So much has already happened in the first two months of the year, as well as the past 2012. The US has witnessed a string of disasters hit the ground – from tornadoes to blizzards to mudslides and wildfires – that ruined properties and livelihoods, destroyed dreams and killed lives of people who were affected by the tragedies.

March is Red Cross Month

But in the midst of temporary darkness that enveloped the lives of people, came light and hope in the form of compassionate people who reached out hands to bring relief. Despite the unpleasant things that happened, we still have the courage to celebrate something worth celebrating! For once, it’s the Red Cross month! Cheers to all the heroes across the country, named and unrecognized alike!

March has always been the Red Cross Month since 1942 when President Franklin Roosevelt issued the declaration to support American Red Cross efforts to raise funds for World War II. During this month, the Red Cross recognizes the generosity of its supporters and celebrate the lives of the everyday heroes in the community.

Moreover, on March 1, 2012, President Barack Obama himself made a Presidential Proclamation declaring March as the American Red Cross Month. He encouraged all Americans to observe this month with proper programs, activities and ceremonies, and to support the work of service and relief organizations.

Over the years, Red Cross has provided search-and-rescue teams that respond to disaster-stricken places and delivered lifesaving care and supplies to victims of any calamity. These lifesaving supplies
include food, shelter, medicines, and blood.

The Red Cross Blood plays a significant and vital role in collecting and distributing more than 40% of blood products in hospitals across the country, making them the largest blood and blood products supplier in the whole country. These lifesaving blood products come from the generous and selfless citizens who believe that rolling up sleeves can already make the difference between life and death.

We are one with the nation in celebrating the Red Cross Month;  we also support and believe in everything it does. Most specially the program that has anything to do with the  importance of having sufficient and safe blood supplies. We also want to recognize the efforts and hearts of our Heroes – the blood donors – who take time to shed a pint and save lives in their own little way.

The American Red Cross thrives because of YOUR support. With all your love and generosity, Red Cross will continue as a humanitarian, non-profit organization that aims to alleviate suffering through providing emergency assistance and disaster relief.

Let’s Celebrate American Red Cross Month!

If you want to do something valuable this month, why not donate to the American Red Cross instead? Donations can go a long way for families and communities. The ARC also welcomes citizens who would like to donate blood to help keep the blood supply at a safe level for the next few days. Blood supply always needs a fresh reload every few days, if every eligible citizen gives blood every 56 days then the ARC will rarely have blood shortage announcements.

The American Red Cross has more than 650 chapters and 36 blood services regions nationwide. Find Red Cross blood drives in your place and roll up your sleeves! Make your life count by saving others!