Fourth of July Mesquite Community Blood Drive needs Type O
Donors of all blood types, especially type O, needed for Independence Day week patients
United Blood Services is asking Mesquite-area residents to donate at the Fourth of July Mesquite Community Blood Drive July 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Virgin River Casino Events Center. Blood donations can decline by up to 25 percent during the week surrounding Independence Day, but heavy traffic on the roads and highways can increase the potential for accidents and the need for blood. While all blood types are needed, O negative and O positive donors are in greatest demand. All donors get a 2-for-1 voucher for Virgin River Casino’s breakfast and lunch buffet.
The hardest days of the days of the summer to maintain the Las Vegas blood supply are July 1–8.
Blood donors around the Independence Day holiday help people like Kellie, who survived leukemia twice with the help of 131 blood donors. She experienced symptoms while on a July 4 holiday camping trip and was airlifted to a hospital where immediate blood transfusions sustained her life. She was just 10 years old when she invited the media to her hospital bedside to plead for more people to give blood after she had to wait 10 hours for her transfusion. Today, thanks to her blood donors, Kellie is a healthy 24 year old who works as a hospital nursing assistant.
“The July 4 holiday week is the most difficult time of the summer to ensure hospital patients across the state have an ample supply of lifesaving blood transfusions,” said Sid Lewis, senior director of donor recruitment for United Blood Services Southwest Division. “While donor vacations reduce the number of people giving blood, heavy traffic on the roads and highways increases the potential for accidents and the need for blood.”
Appointments are recommended and can be made by calling (877) 827-4376 or visiting bloodhero.com and searching for sponsor code “MesquiteNV.” More information is available at unitedbloodservices.org. Virgin River Casino Events Center is located at 100 Pioneer Blvd. in Mesquite.
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