CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – You’ve probably seen the billboards from the American Red Cross asking for type O negative blood. Apparently not enough people are seeing them because supplies are low.
“O negative, it’s the universal donor,” said Meg Heath, of the American Red Cross, Eastern South Carolina Chapter. “So that is what kind of blood we want on the shelves, in case we don’t know what type of blood you are. If you get rushed in from a car accident on 501, that is what they’re immediately going to pump you full of to save your life.”
Heath says type O negative is the universal donor. That means people with type O negative blood can donate to anyone. However, right now blood supplies are so low, they’ll take any type, people just need to step up and donate.
“You know one out of every 100 people that are eligible to donate donate,” said Heath. “So you have 100 people, and only one donates. 100 that can, and only one will do it.”
Right now, Heath says they’ll take any type because they’re still restocking after Hurricane Florence nine months ago.
“We are still kind of coming off Hurricane Florence,” said Heath. “I know people don’t believe us, but we were shut down here in the Myrtle Beach area for about three weeks. We lost hundreds and hundreds of units of blood. We just can’t seem to get back up to that safe level, and now of course coming into summer, the holiday season, hurricane season, it’s just not on the shelves at a safe level right now.”
With the Fourth of July coming and hurricane season already here Heath hopes more and more of us will consider donating. It only takes an hour of your time and can help save multiple lives. Click here for a link to the Eastern South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross to make an appointment to donate.
