Palmerton, PA – The Palmerton Area Community will be hosting a Blood Drive on Monday, September 17, 2018 from 11:30 am – 6:30 pm, in partnership with Miller-Keystone Blood Center (MKBC) at the West End Fire Co., 855 Princeton Ave., Palmerton PA.
It is estimated that 38 percent of the US population is eligible to donate, yet only about three percent do. In Palmerton we are working hard to increase that percentage. Our goal is to collect 65 units at our September drive that could save 195 lives! Your generous blood donation will be used to save the life of someone at one of the 22 local community hospitals including; Lehigh Valley Health Network, St. Luke’s, Sacred Heart Hospital, Grand View Health, Penn State Health St. Joseph, Penn State Hershey, Reading Health System, Blue Mountain Health System, and Hunterdon Healthcare.
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Every three minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with Blood Cancer, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Blood cancers are cancers of the blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes that affect normal blood cell production or function.
Today, nearly 1.3 million people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. Blood cancer can affect anyone, at any time. There is no way to prevent or screen for most blood cancers. Blood and blood platelets are essential for those fighting cancer. According to Cancer.net, “when cancer or its treatment causes low RBCs, called anemia, whole blood transfusions are used to replace the RBCs. Whole blood transfusions can be used to replace blood lost during surgeries, too. People with cancer may develop low platelets, or thrombocytopenia, when the body’s bone marrow is damaged from some kinds of chemotherapy or from some types of leukemia or lymphoma. Replenishing blood lost from an injury or chemotherapy requires blood from healthy donors.”
Donors must be 16 years of age or older. There is no upper age limit for blood donors. Donors must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, feel healthy on the day of their donation and provide valid identification. Consent of parent/guardian is required for 16-year-old donors; additional donor eligibility requirements can be found at GIVEaPINT.org.
To schedule a donation at Palmerton Area Community Blood Drive, contact Alice Wanamaker at 484-274-2080 or AliceW@CarbonCountyChamber.org appointments can also be scheduled online at giveapint.org and reference sponsor code 1361.
Please come out and support this important drive with your life saving donation.
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