Red Cross Needs Blood Donors

Denny Dembeck knows firsthand how important donating blood can be.

The Baltimore County Fire Department lieutenant makes it a point to donate when he can, especially in the last four years since his daughter Lexi, 11, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Blood transfusions were common for Lexi as she dealt with the impact of chemotherapy. Dembeck knows having readily available donated blood was key in her treatment.

“You need to look at the big picture,” said Dembeck, who lives in Middle River. “You never know when you may need blood. It could save your life one day.”

That is the message the American Red Cross is trying to send residents across the country as the organization is dealing with critical blood shortages this summer.

Mike Baisey, a spokesman for the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross, said blood supplies are at their lowest levels for the summer in 12 years. All blood types are needed, but especially needed is O-negative blood, which can be used to treat any patient.

Typically, Baisey said, the Red Cross averages 22,000 donations nationally on a weekday and 15,000 on a weekend throughout May and June. This year, donations have been off 6 percent. The Greater Chesapeake and Potomac region, which includes 55 hospitals in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware and parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, typically go through about 1,200 units a day.

“Summertime is usually a slower time of year for us for donations because people go on vacations and are busy with many activities,” Baisey said. “But this year has been particularly slow.”

It was this concern that motivated Shirley Williams to host her own community blood drive on Monday in Essex. Wilson, who owns on S. Marlyn Avenue, said she is always looking for ways to make a positive impact on the community.

As an incentive to attract more donors, Wilson offered participants T-shirts, along with coupons for a free pizza from . There were also drawings for free tanning for a year.

“We just wanted to find a way to help out,” Wilson said. “Donating blood is easy and something almost anyone can do.”

Dozens of people turned out for Monday’s blood drive, including Dembeck and Essex residents Donna Gallier and Christina Waugh.

Gallier and Waugh have known Williams for years and decided to donate as a way to support their friend’s efforts.

“It’s just doing your civic duty,” Waugh said. “It feels good knowing that a simple act like donating blood can save someone’s life.”

According to the Red Cross, those 17 and older (16 with parental permission in some states) who meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to give blood.

One upcoming blood drive nearby is a three-day effort from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday at Tall Cedars of Lebanon, 2501 Putty Hill Avenue in Parkville, sponsored by radio station 98 Rock. Go to redcrossblood.org to find a blood drive near you.