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SALT LAKE CITY — The American Red Cross of Utah is asking Utahns to donate blood amid hundreds of canceled blood drives this past week due to winter storms across the country.
The Red Cross said Tuesday there have been more than 300 blood drives canceled, accounting for about 9,000 potential donations going uncollected.
"The severe winter weather is coming at a time of the year when the holidays and travel obligations already caused a slowdown in donations," said Heidi Ruster, CEO of the American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region. "The Red Cross depends on generous volunteer blood donors every day to provide lifesaving blood for those in need, but especially during times of disaster."
Two-year-old Tayden Kunz is among those struggling to get the treatments they need due to the shortage. As a patient at Primary Children's Hospital, Tayden receives two platelet transfusions a day to fight a rare blood disease.
Little red dots and bruises started appearing on Tayden's body in the last few months, and she has been in the hospital for four weeks now after learning she has aplastic anemia, a type of bone marrow failure.
Monday night, however, the Kunz family was told by the nurse that Tayden would only receive a fourth of her dose because of the platelet shortage. Her mother is asking all Utahns to consider donating to help children like Tayden across the country and to combat the shortage.
"I think putting a face to it helps but blood, plasma, platelets, all of those things are important, and people need them for sustaining life," Heather Kunz said. "It's one of those things it's way easy to donate and it can save someone's life, so please consider doing it."
Ruster said all blood types are needed, but especially those with Type O blood are encouraged to give blood. According to a news release, Type O-negative is "the universal blood type" and is what emergency medical teams reach for in serious situations when there is no time to determine a patient's blood type. Type O-positive can be transfused to a patient with any positive blood type and is critical in trauma situations.
We need blood donors more than ever at this time of year, to make sure hospitals have the blood that seriously ill children and adults will need over Christmas and the new year.
–Dr. Walter Kelley, American Red Cross
Each day, the Red Cross collects 12,500 blood donations and around 3,000 platelet donations to help patients at about 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers around the country, Ruster said.
"Nine thousand units of blood not collected is a big deal," said Edgar Zuniga, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross.
Although there is a steady stream of donations being collected at the Red Cross donation center in Murray, and staff is prepping donations to send to impacted facilities, Zuniga hopes Utahns will do more and keep donating.
Dr. Walter Kelley, Salt Lake City-based divisional chief medical officer for the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest divisions of the American Red Cross, said blood is needed to respond to patient emergencies approximately every two seconds.
"We need blood donors more than ever at this time of year, to make sure hospitals have the blood that seriously ill children and adults will need over Christmas and the new year," Kelley said.
Fortunately, Tayden is near the end of her hospital treatments, but she will need more platelet transfusions in the coming months. Her mother hopes by sharing her story – those willing to donate will do so soon.
Primary Children's Hospital told KSL weather delayed their shipment of platelets on Monday, but they received the full shipment Tuesday — putting them back on track in having enough blood and platelets to support patients.
Details on where and how to donate blood can be found on the Red Cross's website.
