Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
FRANKFORT, Ind. — The community is invited to give blood in honor of Emma Dunn and all children who need an organ transplant at a special American Red Cross blood drive on Saturday, July 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harmony Baptist Church in Frankfort.
Emma was born with ornithine transcarbamylase deficincy, a rare condition which prevented her body from processing protein. In April of this year, at age 5, she needed a liver transplant. Donated blood was needed to make this surgery possible. Today at age 6, thanks to generous blood donors, Emma is excited to start kindergarten this fall, and can enjoy her favorite activites such as playing mermaids and swimming.
“Emma is really funny these days,” said her mother, Trisha Dunn. “Her vocabulary has improved by leaps and bounds after her transplant now that she no longer has constant ammonia elevations.” Emma’s family hopes the whole community will donate in Emma’s honor to help other children who may need blood.
“Hosting this blood drive in her name is a wonderful way to honor Emma and help other patients in need,” said Sarah Moss, account manager for the Red Cross.
This blood drive comes when the Red Cross is issuing an emergency call for donors to give now to help address a significant blood shortage and ensure area patients receive the transfusions they need. During the Independence Day holiday, many regular donors postponed giving blood due to vacation plans, further depleting an already low blood supply.
Right now, blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in.
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 approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.
Blood Drive in Honor of Emma Dunn
Saturday, July 23, 2016
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Harmony Baptist Church
1635 Washington Ave., Frankfort, IN 46061
To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS
Those who come to donate between now and Sept. 5 can receive an exclusive Cedar Fair ticket offer that helps support the Red Cross, and enter to win one of two grand prize packages for four to Knott’s Berry Farm in California or Cedar Point in Ohio. Blood drive participants can go to redcrossblood.org/cedarfair to purchase discounted tickets for gate admission and enter to win one of the two grand prize packages. For each ticket purchased through the website, Cedar Fair will donate $2 to the Red Cross to support its humanitarian mission. Terms and conditions apply and are available at redcrossblood.org/cedarfair.
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 (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, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started, 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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