When I was 11, I learned the importance of donating blood after my little brother Antonio, who was just four, was diagnosed with blood cancer. Our quiet life in Lima, Peru, suddenly revolved around new terms like leukemia, hemoglobin, transfusions and blood types. Antonio’s blood type was O negative (O-).
O negative blood is universal ─ people with any blood type can receive it and is what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of a patient. Both in Peru and the United States, O negative blood is in high demand and often in short supply. This can be a challenge in helping meet the transfusion needs of patients like Antonio. Dr. Maribel García Colón, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and medical director of the American Red Cross for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, points out that around 15,000 new cases of pediatric cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States. About 40% of these cases are leukemias and lymphomas which can require between eight and twenty blood transfusions annually. These transfusions are crucial for managing complications like anemia and low platelet count which can lead to internal bleeding, and for ensuring the continuity of chemotherapy treatments.
During the seven years Antonio battled cancer, he had many relapses and needed numerous transfusions. Sometimes when his platelet count dropped dangerously low due to the disease or chemotherapy, a blood or platelet transfusion would revive him. It was incredible to see his cheeks turn rosy again, and he would be back to playing soccer with his friends, coming home sweaty and happy like any healthy kid from the neighborhood.
Most People Are Eligible to Donate Blood
Despite witnessing firsthand how a blood transfusion can save a life, I had never donated blood. It wasn’t due to a fear of needles. I was once told I couldn’t donate and never questioned it. Like many Latinos, I feared I wasn’t healthy enough to donate. However, recently I learned that even people with chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, under medical supervision, may be eligible to donate. The Red Cross not only provides donors with a quick health check to confirm they’re fit to donate, but it also has a rigorous screening process to guarantee the safety of transfusions.
The Donation Process and the Hispanic Community
This year, I finally donated blood at a high school in Union City, N.J., a city with a large Hispanic population. The school library had been temporarily transformed into a blood drive where Red Cross staff, assisted by bilingual students, verified my information, checked my vital signs, and guided me to the donation area.
On the donor beds beside me, two Hispanic students proudly told a phlebotomist that they would wear a red ribbon on their graduation gowns to signify their blood donation. Their conversation kept me entertained for the six minutes it took to draw the blood. As I rehydrated in the recovery area, I couldn’t stop thinking about how quick and easy it is to help save a life.
Unfortunately, my story does not have a happy ending. My brother passed away a few months after turning eleven. But seeing him fight almost his entire childhood against a relentless illness has deepened my commitment to helping other children like him who are waiting for that blood transfusion that will allow them to go out and play with their friends again and enjoy the simple act of being children.
Most Hispanic people have O positive (O+) blood, the most common type used by hospitals in emergencies. This National Blood Donor Month is a perfect time to raise awareness about our ability to help hospitals maintain a sufficient blood supply to meet everyone’s needs ─ whether for an accident victim, a mother hemorrhaging during childbirth, or a child whose life depends on a transfusion.
NFL PARTNERSHIP For the sixth year, the Red Cross and the NFL are partnering in January for National Blood Donor Month to invite football fans and blood donors to score big for patients in need. Give blood from Jan. 1-26, 2025, to be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans! ^ Terms and additional details can be found at RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl
^Sponsor: American Red Cross. The prize shall not be sold on any internet site and any ticket that has been re-sold via the internet will be nullified. The National Football League’s licensed marks (“NFL”; “National Football League” and the NFL Shield design, “Super Bowl” and the Super Bowl LIX name) on any giveaway related materials have been reviewed by NFL and are used with permission. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored this giveaway in any way.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
Find a drive and schedule a blood donation appointment today.
