{"id":31521,"date":"2024-02-05T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T07:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=31521"},"modified":"2025-10-31T19:31:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:31:00","slug":"the-gift-of-blood-how-it-saves-lives-and-the-journey-from-donation-to-transfusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/the-gift-of-blood-how-it-saves-lives-and-the-journey-from-donation-to-transfusion\/","title":{"rendered":"The gift of blood: How it saves lives and the journey from donation to transfusion","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

By Meredith Bailey and Melissa Campbell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every two seconds \u2014 that\u2019s how often someone in the United States needs blood, according to the American Red Cross.<\/p>\n

In the winter of 2020, 72-year-old Eda Kammerzell became one of the many who needed life-saving transfusions. When reddish-purple spots appeared on her arms and legs, she didn\u2019t think much of it at first since she was otherwise in good health.<\/p>\n

Her primary care doctor ordered bloodwork, and soon Kammerzell got a call from her care team with an urgent message: \u201cGo to the emergency department now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kammerzell had thrombocytopenia, a condition where platelets \u2014 cell fragments important for clotting \u2014 are low. Her platelet counts had plummeted to such a level that she was in danger of severe internal bleeding.<\/p>\n

At MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, she received multiple blood transfusions \u2014 and she continued to routinely receive them twice a week for almost a year after her discharge from the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a matter of life and death,\u201d Kammerzell says. \u201cIt\u2019s vitally important for people to donate blood, and I am beyond appreciative for those who do.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that wasn\u2019t the first time blood saved her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYears ago, when my second daughter was born, I hemorrhaged and they had to give me three pints,\u201d Kammerzell says. \u201cWhen I got healthy again, I started to donate blood, and when they were old enough, I got my girls interested in donating, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, she continues to receive treatment for thrombocytopenia and her health continues to stabilize \u2014 yet the nation\u2019s blood supply is in a precarious position.<\/p>\n

In January 2024, the American Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage<\/a>. Many factors have converged over the past few years to create this crisis \u2014 from COVID-19 to low donor turnout to the increase in climate-related disasters.<\/p>\n

Another growing problem is that baby boomers \u2014 who make up a significant proportion of the loyal donor population \u2014 are aging out of their ability to donate, and not enough people in younger generations are stepping up to take their place. The Association of Blood Donor Professionals reports that only 3 percent of Americans who are eligible donate blood each year.<\/p>\n

In the video and article below, we invite you to learn more about the journey of blood \u2014 what this lifegiving substance does for your body, how donation benefits people from the community and what happens to blood after it\u2019s donated.<\/p>\n

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