The Red Cross is In Urgent Need for Blood Donations, ABC Columbia’s Blood Drive Can Help
An incredible story about a woman given not one, but two-second chances at life because of the selflessness of those here in the Midlands community.
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Columbia, SC (WOLO)– The Red Cross is in urgent need of blood donors. There is a huge shortage because winter weather discourages people from donating. This year already, 150 blood drives were forced to cancel because of bad weather, causing over 5,500 blood donations to go uncollected.
Susan Kirk saw how blood donations can save lives when her mother needed blood donations for many years during her battle with cancer. Kirk never expected her journey with the Red Cross to come completely full circle.
“And I mean, it absolutely saved my life,” Kirk said.
After Kirk’s mom died, she joined the Red Cross. Having a career recruiting blood platelet donors and eventually becoming the bone marrow representative for the whole state. Then one day, she was being treated for a kidney infection and suddenly, she needed 12 units of blood fast.
“It was New Year Eve Day, and I was quite aware of the blood shortages during the holidays. So I just bled out. Luckily I was in the hospital. And I used 12 units of blood,” Kirk said.
An ulcer burst and if Kirk did not get the much-needed blood, she said she would not be here today. But, just this last September, it happened again. This time she needed four more units of blood.
“Wow. If we could gather those 16 people who saved my life, and I’m not kidding they saved my life because I would have died, of course I would hug them. And some people don’t like to be hugged but that would not matter,” Kirk said.
Every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood, according to the Red Cross. That is someone whose life depends on someone else taking a little time out of their day to make a life-saving donation.
“I mean, how do you, how do you thank people? Strangers? There are 16 people out there that I don’t know and will never know, that actually saved my life,” Kirk said.
Kirk has since retired from the Red Cross, but still encourages everyone she knows to donate. Especially now, because it is personal. Kirk wants to remind people that one donation of blood can save up to three lives.
“You need to donate blood. Everybody. The butcher, the cashier,” Kirk said.
ABC Columbia is partnering with the Red Cross for a New Years blood donation event.
Stop by the Plex at The Village at Sandhill Tuesday, January 9 from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
