A’s, B’s and O’s are missing – Red Cross campaign calls for new blood donors to fill the Missing Types | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
American Red Cross
June 11, 2018
As part of an international movement, the American Red Cross is launching the Missing Types campaign today to recruit new blood donors – and those who have not given recently – to ensure lifesaving blood is available for patients.
During the Missing Types campaign, the letters A, B and O – the main blood groups – will disappear from brands, social media pages, signs and websites to illustrate the critical role every blood donor plays. When the letters A, B and O vanish from everyday life, the gaps are striking. And when A, B and O blood types are missing from hospital shelves, patient care could be impacted.
“Unfortunately, blood shortages still happen and the number of new Red Cross blood donors is shrinking each year,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. “That’s why the Red Cross is asking those who have never donated blood and those who haven’t given in a while to make a lifesaving donation. You are the missing type patients need.”
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Don’t wait until the letters A, B and O go missing from hospital shelves. Join the #MissingType movement today – make an appointment to give blood by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/MissingTypes, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
A recent survey, conducted on behalf of the Red Cross, revealed a troubling disconnect between the public’s perception of blood donations and the realities of patient transfusion needs.
Lily Dotson and her family know how serious blood shortages can be for patients. During Lily’s  2 1/2 years of treatment for high-risk leukemia, her family was told twice that the hospital didn’t have the blood or platelets she needed and that she would have to wait for transfusions. It was incredibly frustrating and eye-opening for Lily’s mom, Susie Dotson.
“People automatically think blood is there. They don’t realize we’re relying on their blood donation,” said Dotson. “Lily needed blood products just as much as the chemo or the treatment.”
Lily, now 11, has been cancer-free for four years and is preparing to enter middle school this year.
Each day, blood and platelets are needed for accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those like Lily who are receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood donations every day for patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals across the country.
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. But for the past four years, new Red Cross donors have declined by about 80,000 each year. This is not just a Red Cross trend, but a challenge blood collection organizations face across the country and around the world.
Donating blood is a simple process and only takes about an hour from start to finish.
The Red Cross appreciates the support of its 18 lead partners who have joined the #MissingType campaign, including: Adobe, Anheuser-Busch, AvalonBay Communities, Inc., Domino’s, Dropbox, Google, IBM, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Mastercard, Nationwide, Neiman Marcus, the New York Yankees, Oreo, PayPal, Salesforce, State Farm®, Sunoco and U.S. Bank.
Brown Deer
6/14/2018: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Brown Deer Public Library, 5600 W Bradley Rd
Franklin
7/6/2018: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Franklin Public Library, 9151 W Loomis Road
Milwaukee
6/14/2018: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 S. 5th Ct.
6/18/2018: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Bluemound Road
6/19/2018: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Bluemound Road
6/25/2018: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., East Library – Milwaukee Public Library, 2320 N Cramer Street
6/26/2018: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., St. Roman Parish, 1710 W. Bolivar Ave.
7/6/2018: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Parklawn YMCA, 4340 N 46th St
7/9/2018: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Hillside Resource Center, 1452 N 7th St
West Allis
6/22/2018: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., West Allis City Hall, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave.
All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass are encouraged to help speed up the donation process. RapidPass lets donors complete the pre-donation reading and answer the health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass from the convenience of a mobile device or computer, or through the Blood Donor App.