Ellaine Davies is just one of many whose quality of life was improved by blood donations. Shortly after giving birth to her second son in 2020, her hemoglobin numbers dropped drastically.
“I was really stressed because the world has shut down, the stress of that, and then I had a newborn coming into the world that needed me to be 100%, and I was like 10%,” Davies shared.
That’s when the doctor told her that she needed a blood transfusion.
“I felt relieved that I was going to be able to take care of my son,” she says.
Davies isn’t alone. Laura Kamada with Vitalant says that one out of seven people who come to the hospital will need a blood transfusion.
"We've had people who needed blood due to pregnancy issues. We've had people who needed blood for cancer reasons; fire victims, burn victims," Kamada says.
With summer winding down, she says there’s an even bigger need for blood, which only has a shelf life of 42 days.
“Summer is normally our hardest time to get people to donate blood. People are out and about. They're traveling, school's out. This is also the time when we see more accidents. People are getting injured, and that's when the need goes up, but if people aren't donating blood and we don't have the blood on the shelves, that's when it gets really tricky," Kamada explains. "It's really important we have enough blood on our shelves for our hospital patients, especially since we are the sole provider of blood in this county.”
Davies is urging people in the community to donate, adding that she's thankful for the help she received.
"I’m just elated that the blood was available for me, and laboratory staff were able to cross-match me and have blood ready, because I definitely needed it," she said.
To sign up for the KSBY Be A Hero Blood Drive, there are donation locations in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo on Wednesday, Aug. 27. To sign up or for more information, click here.
Donors will receive tacos from Taqueria 805, a $10 Rewards gift card and a free T-shirt. There will also be treats available for donors at the San Luis Obispo location from Paradise Shaved Ice. Donors will also automatically be entered for a chance to win one of three $10,000 gift cards in the gas giveaway.
