ORLANDO, Fla. – Summer can be a challenging time for blood collection.
“People are on vacation, school is out, blood donation may not be top of mind for some people because they’re in the summer mode,” said Susan Forbes, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations with OneBlood. “But the need for blood does not take a holiday.”
Forbes said every two seconds, someone receives a blood transfusion, and one in three people will need blood at some point in their life.
“The blood has to be available exactly when it’s needed,” Forbes said.
According to OneBlood, about 60% of the population is eligible to donate blood, but only about 3 percent actually do.
Forbes said OneBlood sees an increased need during the summer for all blood types, but especially Type O blood.
“O positive and O negative blood is in the highest demand,” Forbes said. “O negative is the universal donor. It can go to any patient regardless of their blood type.”
Forbes said only 7% of the population has O-negative blood.
“So we have to encourage the people who do have that blood type to step forward,” Forbes said.
Forbes also said blood donation should be part of hurricane season preparation.
“Get your water, get your batteries, and make a stop at OneBlood and donate,” Forbes said.
She said it is important to have a ready blood supply before, during, and after storms because collection operations may have to temporarily close in parts of OneBlood’s service area.
“Nobody wakes up thinking they’re going to be a blood recipient,” Forbes said. “You don’t plan to be the blood recipient, but you can plan to be the donor and help save the person who needs blood transfusion.”
Forbes said donations made today can be processed, tested and on the way to help a patient within two to three days.
“The main thing is don’t take the blood supply for granted,” Forbes said. “Because in an instant, any one of us can find ourselves on the receiving end of a blood transfusion.”
Reflecting on the Pulse nightclub tragedy, Forbes said blood donors play a critical role before emergencies happen.
“Blood donors truly are those first, first responders,” Forbes said. “They do their part days before the blood is needed, and as a result, they help save people’s lives.”
When Pulse happened in 2016, thousands of people lined up to donate blood. But Forbes noted that the blood helping victims immediately after the shooting had actually been donated days earlier.
“It is the people who came in just a few days ago that are helping save these people’s lives,” Forbes said.
Her message today is simple: blood is needed every day, and donors can make a lifesaving difference before an emergency ever happens.