by The winter weather in some parts of the country coupled with cold and flu season makes it hard for the American Red Cross to maintain a sufficient supply of blood this time of the year, which is why January is National Blood Donor Month. To keep up with the demand, nearly 13,000 donations are needed every day.
Unfortunately, we are no strangers to needing blood transfusions. I lost count of how many times AJ needed blood in the first few months of his life, while he was going through open heart surgeries and recovery. Surgeries and injuries are the types of things I typically used to think of when I thought about blood donations, but there are other cases where it’s needed too.
The last time AJ needed blood was in September of 2018. AJ started to fade in and out of consciousness at home. He was blue and unresponsive. It was one of those awful moments where your instincts kick in and you just do what you can to keep your kid alive, bagging, turning up his oxygen… ultimately doing whatever it took to keep him going. I was incredibly thankful to have one of our amazing nurses present and there to help at the time, and for the always quick response from our local first responders.
That day, AJ and I took an ambulance ride to the university. He was in and out of consciousness and his oxygen saturation numbers were all over the place. By the time we arrived at the university, he had stabilized a little, or so we thought.
In the emergency department, he dropped quickly and needed bagged again. Eventually we were able to figure out his hemoglobin count was low and that he needed a transfusion. He was admitted quickly. Later we determined that the culprit was iron deficiency.
Seeing your kid like that isn’t something I wish for any parent. Ever. It’s scary, and awful. But the change in him after he’d been given that blood was amazing.
That change wouldn’t be possible without blood donors. I can’t imagine what we would have done if they didn’t have blood for AJ — if they would have come back and said “he needs a blood transfusion, but we don’t have any.”
So today, as our part in National Blood Donor Month, we want to do our part to make sure to acknowledge everyone who does donate. Your donation is truly a gift of life to people who need it, and we are beyond thankful for your contribution.
If you haven’t donated before, I urge you to give it a try. It’s not scary, it only takes about an hour out of your day, and you are truly saving lives. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat something before hand, and take them up on the post donation snack.
If you don’t know where to go to donate, the Red Cross has an easy tool to help you find a local blood drive, and you can even schedule an appointment online. If you’re not sure if you would be eligible to donate, the Red Cross has some FAQs that can help.
Blood donations save lives. Lives like AJ’s. Your gift does not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the families that need it. Thank you, from the absolute bottom of our hearts.
