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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingUtah trauma and transplant patients are relying on a blood bank that is falling critically short right now.
Chris Nelson, University Hospital Spokesman: "If someone passes away and they are able to match the heart, that's the chance that person has. So it would be a terrible, terrible thing to happen if the transplant didn't happen because the blood wasn't there."
Hospital patients are using an unusually high amount of blood right now. Couple that with the fact that cold weather is keeping fewer people from going to blood drives, and one company that runs blood services for four local hospitals says it's a crisis situation.
One of ARUP's blood donor centers is at University Hospital. The company has been asking for type-O blood, both negative and positive. While this type is universal, ARUP says they need it because many people awaiting transplants and surgeries right now have type-O blood.
Usually Sundays are a slow day at the ARUP blood donor center.
Karen Krier, Blood Donor: "I come on Sunday and I'm usually the only one here."
But not today. All weekend, people with type-O blood have been coming in to help out a dire situation.
Pete Rugh, Blood Donor: "My mom told me they needed O blood, and I have O blood."
ARUP says the four hospitals it serves have at least one transplant on hold right now because of the blood shortage.
It's a transplant that brought Julie Ahrens to the donor center.
Julie Ahrens, Blood Donor: "My brother just had a heart transplant, and he is at University Hospital."
Julie Ahrens: "This is extremely important to my family."
Julie's brother waited two years for a new heart, and ended up needing more blood than doctors thought. Now she says he's doing well.
Julie Ahrens: "It's just a wonderful thing. It's a miracle."
While transplant patients can use a lot of blood, so can trauma patients. Utah hospitals are also seeing a lot of trauma cases related to the season and the weather.
Chris Nelson, University Hospital Spokesman: "This winter, with a lot of freezing roads, we've had accidents, a lot of ski injuries come in."
ARUP says when it typically has a blood shortage, it looks to other states for help. But this time, there was no relief anywhere.
Lance Bandley, ARUP Blood Services: "Problem is, we called everywhere this last weekend. There isn't any blood anywhere in the nation to bring in."
ARUP is hoping those who have come in to donate will help get their blood banks up to basic functioning modes. Those who took the time to sit in the chairs and bare the needles say it was worth it.
Kathy Krier: "For me, it's painless. It's quick. It's just such an easy thing to do."
"I'm glad that I'm here helping out."
University Hospital says one of its transplant patients barely got the necessary surgery this week because of the blood shortage. They have one heart patient that's waiting to undergo his or her operation until more blood comes in.
