Give the perfect gift this holiday season at the Omaha and Council Bluffs Holiday Blood Drive

The American Red Cross, KETV NewsWatch 7, and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center encourage Omaha metro residents to give the perfect gift this holiday season by donating blood. The annual Holiday Blood Drive returns to Omaha and Council Bluffs Monday, Dec. 19. 

 

Blood donations help patients like 9-year-old Maryclare Kolb who has beta thalassemia, a blood disorder that reduces the production of normal hemoglobin in the body. Her treatment includes a blood transfusion every three weeks.

 

“Maryclare needs blood transfusions to have a healthy life and grow and develop like other children,” said Edward Kolb, Maryclare’s father. 

 

Thanks to blood transfusions, Maryclare gets to enjoy her favorite activities – singing and playing soccer. Donating blood during the Omaha and Council Bluffs Holiday Blood Drive will help ensure blood is available for Maryclare and other children like her. 

 

A seasonal decline in donations often occurs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day when donors get busy with family gatherings and travel. However, patients don’t get a holiday vacation from needing lifesaving transfusions. In fact, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.

 

 

Simply download the American 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 in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), 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, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.

 

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.