Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
Rogers community urged to give blood during critical need
ROGERS, Minn. — For the second year, EyeWest Vision Clinic is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive in honor of Kelly Myers, a patient coordinator at the clinic. Myers is currently battling chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms.
In 2011, Myers began noticing tingling in her right foot along with ankle weakness. She was mistakenly diagnosed with lower back issues. Over the next two years her symptoms progressed to other limbs. She was finally diagnosed with CIDP.
“At this time there is no cure for CIDP, but I am currently receiving biweekly immunoglobulin treatments, or IVIG, which is a blood product administered intravenously,” said Myers. “IVIG contains antibodies from the plasma of over one thousand blood donors and helps me fight the disease. It varies for every patient, but I’ve been told that it takes 25,000 to 30,000 blood donations to support my treatments for a year alone!”
Donate blood in honor of Kelly Myers
Wednesday, Aug. 3
Noon-6 p.m.
EyeWest Vision Clinic
13900 Northdale Blvd.
To make an appointment to donate, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
“I am so grateful to EyeWest for helping build awareness about the need for blood,” said Myers. “And, thank you to everyone who supports the Red Cross. It is so important to the lives of people like me. Without the giving spirit of volunteer blood donors, I would not have the same quality of life today."
This blood drive comes when the Red Cross is issuing an emergency call for donors to give now to help address a critical blood shortage and ensure area patients receive the transfusions they need. 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 donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.
Blood products can help many different kinds of patients including accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer, sickle cell disease, and other conditions.
How to donate blood
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 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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