Get A T-Shirt And Dinner When You Give Blood In New Year

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Severe winter weather has forced the cancellation of blood drives and closure of donation centers in parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, according to the Red Cross. Hundreds of blood and platelet donations have gone uncollected.

The Douglasville First United Methodist Church Blood Drive will be held Wednesday, Jan. 16, from
3 – 8 p.m. at Tidwell Hall.

To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: douglasvillefumc.

All presenting donors will receive a Red Cross t-shirt as well as a ticket for one free dinner at Wednesday Night Dinner at Douglasville FUMC.

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Douglasville — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

Some facts about blood donation from the American Red Cross:

Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S.
• Nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
• Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
• The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 units.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.
• Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patientscan require blood transfusions throughout their lives.
• According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.7 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2017. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

Image via Shutterstock