By Christy Peters, Regional Communications Manager

After avoiding it for a week and complaining about for much longer, I spent yesterday afternoon taking down and putting away my holiday decorations. It’s one of my least favorite things to do, for multiple reasons. It’s a tedious process because I have a lot of stuff and I can never remember what goes in which box. That leads to a not-so-fun game of decoration box packing Tetris that I never win.

But I mostly put the task off because the first few weeks of January are my least favorite time of the year. I love everything about Christmas and packing everything up reminds me it’s over and I have to get back into a routine…back to work, waking up on time and not eating and drinking everything in sight! 

It turns out, I’m not alone. The “January blues” is a legitimate phenomenon felt by many, for almost all the reasons above. But this general malaise extends beyond diehard holiday lovers like me. January is also one of the most difficult times for the Red Cross to collect enough blood for patients. In fact, the organization is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as the nation faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years.

Over the last 20 years, the number of people donating blood to the Red Cross has fallen by about 40%. When fewer people donate blood, even small disruptions to blood donations – such as the nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations the Red Cross experienced between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone – can have a huge impact on the availability of blood products and dramatic consequences for those in need of emergency blood transfusion. 

Blood products are currently going to hospitals faster than blood donations are coming in, and in recent weeks, the Red Cross has had to limit distributions of type O blood products – among the most transfused blood types – to hospitals. In Northern Ohio, more than 500 units of blood are needed every day to meet the needs of patients at more than 70 local hospitals.

The Red Cross is urging eligible donors to make an appointment to give blood now and in the coming weeks to help alleviate the shortage and ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not delayed. By giving blood for the first time, for the first time in a long time or just giving one more time this year than last, you can make a lifesaving impact.

To find a blood drive near you, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). All who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in January will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Plus, helping save a life is probably the best antidote for the January blues!

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer