After watching her dad donate blood throughout her childhood, Anna Heleniak started donating blood years ago and has kept it up ever since.

“I started as soon as I could, when I was 17. My high school did blood drives, and I just turned 35,” she said.

Someone needs blood in the United States every two seconds. Anna likes knowing that her blood donations help save lives in her community and beyond.

“I knew that there was always a need and it’s something that I can do that makes a difference.”

The American Red Cross provides about 40% of America’s blood supply and operates about 500 drives across the country daily. Anna works in marketing for a pharmaceutical company that hosts blood drives a couple of times a year and she said making an impact in healthcare is really important to her.

“The Red Cross has such a great reputation so to be able to support the organization and do it in, like a healthcare way, which is something I’m interested in, was important. And I figured if I have the blood and I’m eligible, why not?”

Anna recently made her 38th blood donation and makes an effort to donate every 56 days, the amount of time that whole blood can be donated safely.

She has donated blood on blood mobiles and at community centers, but she was especially excited to see the new blood donation center open in East Norriton on Halloween, because it has convenient hours and is close to her house.

She was one of the first people to donate on opening day and had great things to say about the new fixed donation site, which is located in Northtowne Plaza at 2880 DeKalb Pike, near the intersection of Germantown Pike and DeKalb Pike.

“It’s beautiful! It’s really nice. It’s bright. It looks like it has all the latest technology and resources so it’s a friendly and inviting place to walk in and give blood.”

Anna enjoys using the Red Cross Blood Donor App to see where her donated blood ends up.

“Sometimes it would go to local hospitals, but recently it’s been going further and further, which means we’re able to fulfill needs in communities that maybe don’t have as many blood donors. Last time it went to West Virginia, or Ohio, so it’s nice to know that you can track and see.”

She said, “I helped someone who I didn’t even know needed help.”

If you would like to make an appointment to donate blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org, use the Red Cross donor app or call 1-800-RED CROSS. That’s 1-800-733-2767.

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- Written by Jenny Farley