Give the gift of blood over the holidays while others are too busy

It happens every year.

Over the holidays, as our attention turns to office parties, family gatherings and Christmas shopping, our seasonal spirit of generosity lags when it comes to one of humanity’s most crucial needs:

Blood.

Blood donations don’t just decline, from Thanksgiving through the first week of the new year. They plummet.

From Thanksgiving 2016 through Jan. 7, 2017, the American Red Cross collected 64,000 fewer blood and platelet donations than it averaged the rest of the year.

It’s a recurring issue because blood and platelets can’t be stocked away in cold storage until they’re needed months later: They must be fresh, and require a continuous resupply.

“Blood is perishable and can only be replenished by volunteer donors,” the Red Cross says. “Red blood cells, the most transfused blood product, must be transfused within 42 days. Platelets, the tiny cells that form clots and help stop bleeding, must be transfused within just five days. More than half of all platelet donations go to cancer patients who may need platelet transfusions to prevent life-threatening bleeding during chemotherapy.”

Donate platelets on a Monday, and someone who needs them will get the transfusion by the following Friday, a fast turnaround:

“Platelet donations are especially encouraged the first week of the new year, which is among the most difficult to collect enough platelets to meet patient needs,” the agency says.

Free T-shirts

From Thursday through Jan. 7, those who donate will get a gift in return: A long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt – unless so many donors show up that the T-shirt supply abruptly is exhausted.

To save donors’ time, the agency is using wireless technology to speed the process, so they can skip the in-person screening when they arrive at the donor center.

The day they donate, they can go online to redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and fill out the questionnaire and health history before they go to give blood or platelets.

They also can schedule an appointment online at redcrossblood.org, or download the agency’s blood donor app. They also can make an appointment by calling 1-800-733-2767.

Appointments are for the donor’s convenience: They not required at the Columbus donor center or area blood drives.

The Columbus center at 7490 Veterans Parkway is always closed on Sunday and Monday, so Christmas and New Year’s Day won’t affect its usual schedule.

Its hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Here are some regional blood drives scheduled for the next few weeks, according to the Red Cross:

▪ From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Greystone Farms Reserve, 7461 Blackmon Road, Columbus.

▪ From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Midtown Medical Center, 710 Center St., Columbus.

▪ From 7 a.m. to noon Jan. 3 at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, 126 Highway 280 W., Americus.

▪ From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 10 at the John P. Thayer YMCA, 24 14th St., Columbus.

▪ From noon to 5 p.m. Jan. 11 at Cascade Hills Church, 727 54th St., Columbus.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Give the gift of blood over the holidays while others are too busy."