Donating blood can save a child’s life

Red Cross information

Area residents can bring hope to a child’s life in the time it might take to eat lunch with a friend.

By donating blood through the American Red Cross, one can help provide the blood some children may need for ongoing cancer care. With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, blood donors are encouraged to make and keep appointments and help children beat serious disease.

“Donated blood and platelets can play an enormous role in cancer care and treatment,” said Tracy Duncan, communications manager for the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross. “Chances are, there’s a child or a family waiting for the gift you can give.”

Transfusions of red cells and platelets can help save a patient’s life, or dramatically improve their quality of life from day-to-day. Leukemia and other cancers can cause anemia and internal bleeding, chemo and radiation can lower blood counts, and cancer-related surgeries can result in blood loss.

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 10,400 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer in a typical year. Of those childhood cancer patients, about one-third will have some form of leukemia. Many forms of leukemia respond to current medical care, including the most prevalent: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL.

“When you give blood, you give hope,” said Duncan. “We often hear from families who say that because blood was there, their child has a chance to grow up and enjoy every moment. Just think of the power your donation can bring.”

Area Red Cross blood drives:

Friday, September 28, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of Trinity Friends Church, 605 N. Franklin St. in Van Wert. This is the annual Van Wert Day of Caring blood drive. Come to donate and receive a Red Cross t-shirt.