Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (Aug. 1, 2019) —The American Red Cross is once again partnering with the family and friends of Alex Tubbergen-Maglio to host a blood drive in his honor, Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Preferred Family Health Care, 900 E. LaHarpe, in Kirksville.
Alex, 21, is currently an emergency medical technician, firefighter and hazardous materials technician for Boone County. On March 11, 2018, he was injured in a head-on car accident. Alex was extricated from the car and life flighted to the University of Missouri hospital.
Over the last year, Alex had seven surgeries on his legs and received up to eleven pints of lifesaving blood per surgery.
“During Alex’s surgeries we have seen how important blood donations have been,” said Tish Tubbergen-Maglio, Alex’s mother. “We hope that the Kirksville community will come by and donate to help others who need it.”
This blood drive comes as the Red Cross faces an emergency blood shortage. Blood donors are needed now to help avoid delays in lifesaving medical care for patients this summer. Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. More donations are immediately needed to help replenish the blood supply.
With the help of a generous $1 million donation from Amazon, the Red Cross is thanking those who help overcome the shortage by coming to give July 29 through Aug. 29 with a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email. (Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. More information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together.)
Every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,500 hospitals nationwide.
How to donate blood
Simply download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, from a computer or mobile device. Get started and learn more, visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.