Bluebird Tattoo wants to help local patients while also debunking the common myth that you can’t donate blood if you have a tattoo or recently received a tattoo. This isn’t necessarily the case, so Bluebird Tattoo is inviting the community to the annual “Leave Your Mark” American Red Cross blood drive Saturday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Your eligibility to donate blood is not affected by your recently received tattoo if it was applied at a state-regulated entity using sterile needles. Most states currently regulate tattoo facilities, including Indiana. If your tattoo was applied by a facility that is not state regulated, then wait 12 months after your tattoo was applied before giving blood.
This is the third annual Leave Your Mark blood drive coordinated by Bluebird Tattoo owner Drew Thomas. The first two drives resulted in 48 total donations being given. Thomas hopes for an even greater turn out this year.
“I hear it all the time that people think they can’t give blood because of their tattoos,” said Thomas. “As someone who applies tattoos I want to do my part to debunk that myth and give people an opportunity to help hospital patients.”
“Blood is needed every day of the year to help hospital patients in need,” said Trish Cochran, account manager for the American Red Cross. “If you have never given blood before, now is a great time to start.”
Every two seconds in the United States blood is 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 nearly 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals nationwide.
“Leave your Mark” Blood Drive
Saturday, May 13, 2017
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bluebird Tattoo
6230 Central Ave., Portage, IN 46368
How to donate 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.
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.
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