By Samantha Pudelski, American Red Cross volunteer

Today is World Blood Donor Day, a day where organizations around the world highlight the importance of safe blood, platelet and plasma donations provided by individuals around the world, and right here in our own backyard.

Donors are especially important at times like these, during the severe blood shortage currently being experienced, due to increased hospital demand, as the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries have risen, depleting the nation’s blood supply.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. need blood and/or platelets. It is essential for people having surgery or cancer treatment, individuals who experienced a traumatic injury and those with certain chronic illnesses. The American Red Cross provides about 40% of our nation’s blood and blood component supply, collected from generous volunteer donors at blood drive events throughout the year.

This World Blood Donor Day, we’d like to highlight some of our recent Northern Ohio blood donors and their words of encouragement to others about donating blood.

“Once you get started, you won’t want to stop. It is very rewarding.  Even when I did not have a high enough Iron level, I was not deterred. I kept trying. I kept going,” says Roberta Koester from Chardon.

Linda Goeke from Hudson said, “I love getting the messages that my blood has been sent to such and such a place to help someone in need.”

And finally Brenda Turek from Boardman talk about how little time it takes to donate: “It is easy. For me it is one hour from the time I leave home to the time I get back home.“

It’s with donation from donors like you, that life-saving blood can be provided to people when they need it the most. Only 3% of age-eligible people donate blood yearly, and with each new donor, we are able to better meet the supply needed.

To learn more about the donation process and to find a blood donation drive near you, visit redcross.org/blood.