Three major traumas have all but depleted the South Texas Blood & Tissue supply, leaving blood levels critically low – more than 100 units of type O blood alone are needed.
South Texas Blood & Tissue is asking members of the community, particularly those with type O blood, to come forward and donate as soon as possible. Blood donations are a lifeline to save people when traumas happen, from accidents to shootings to car wrecks.
Type O-negative can be given to people with any blood type in emergencies, while O-positive is the most common blood type in South Texas. Both blood types are the highest in demand by hospitals, causing them to deplete quickly.
“Every blood center is struggling to maintain a stable blood supply,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, South Texas Blood & Tissue. “Every blood transfusion that is given to a patient in need comes from a volunteer donor, and we are calling on our community to come together.”
The importance of blood donations can be a matter of life and death for patients like Scott.
Scott was working on cutting metals with a handheld grinder when the disk exploded and shot through his arm, severing nerves, muscles, tendons and blood vessels. He was bleeding out.
“I didn’t know if I had five seconds or five minutes to stay conscious,” he said.
Scott was saved thanks to the blood he received before arriving at the hospital. First responders provided him with two units of blood en route to University Hospital, and several more units were administered during his surgery.
Without these generous donations, Scott’s story could have had a tragic ending.
These shortages mean that surgeries are postponed, that people with cancer can’t receive their treatments, people in accidents will not have a supply to give them a chance to live like Scott.
Donating whole blood takes about an hour from check-in to cookies. Donors can schedule a blood donation by calling 210-731-5590 or visiting SouthTexasBlood.org.
