LBC will host blood drive in fellowship hall

A Lincoln County Community Blood Drive will be held Saturday, March 22, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the fellowship hall at Lincolnton Baptist Church.

The goal for the drive is 30 donors.

According to Linda Walker, recruitment coordinator for the Shepeard Community Blood Center, "As a result of the horrible explosion at the Savannah Sugar Refinery, we are in desperate need of blood, especially B+ and B-. There are currently six patients from Savannah in critical condition and four in serious condition at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital. This brings the total number of patients being treated at the burn center to 72.

"Since we are the only contracted provider of blood and blood products for Doctors Hospital, we are anticipating the need for an extraordinary amount of blood donations during the next three to eight months," she continued.

"Unfortunately, we have found ourselves in competition with the American Red Cross for blood donors because people erroneously be- lieve that donating to other organizations will help the burn victims from the sugar refinery.

"The bottom line is we are going to need a lot of help for our burn victims in the weeks and months to come," Walker stated. "Every donation makes a difference - one donor can save up to three lives. We as a community need to pull together to ensure our hospital patients have blood when they need it. Please help give the gift of life."

Healthy individuals 17 years of age or older (16, with parental consent), weighing 110 pounds or more, who have not donated blood in the past two months are eligible to make a donation. Donors are asked to bring a picture I.D. or a donor card with them to the drive.

All participants will receive a free T-shirt, and free cholesterol screenings will be available upon request for those 19 years of age or older.

From beginning to end, the process takes less than half an hour.

The following Lincoln County residents are to be commended for donating blood at the January 12 drive: Tangela G. McKinney, Debbie D. Rankin, Florence B. Dallis, Ronny L. Clary, Boyce C. McKinney, Judy F. Cunningham.

Trudy B. Edmunds, Denise J. Biles, Tamara L. Abel, Erin M. Cameron, Christine S. Cameron, Barbara B. Doyle, Joseph D. Simmons, Jr., Gerome Bolton, Brenda T. Leopard, Terry J. Kirkland, Marietta R. Stone, Kevin L. Bentley.

Marsha W. Scott, Jamie D. Reese, April L. Crook, William S. Kelley, Rita W. Hussey, Olivia G. Deas, James A. Deas, Mary L. Glaze, Terri Ann Meredith, Michael A. Smalley, Jack D. Glazner, and Orion N. Kujala.

Some interesting facts about blood donation include:

.. Every two seconds someone needs a blood transfusion.

.. About one in seven people entering the hospital need blood.

.. Studies show that donating blood just three times a year may: lower one's blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack by 50 percent, and lower the chances of developing colon, lung, bladder, and esophageal cancers by 40 percent.

This is because excess iron actually promotes the growth of cancer in the body by producing free radicals and feeding cancer cells. Blood donation is the only practical and effective method for the removal of excess iron.

For men with moderate excess iron accumulation, periodic blood donation may help to reduce the iron the body stores to a healthier level.

.. Platelets, which have the clotting factor burn and cancer patients need, only last five days. Whole blood will last 42 days, and plasma, if frozen, will last up to a year.

.. Twenty-two percent of Shepeard's blood supply goes to cancer patients; 18 percent is utilized by heart patients.

.. A victim of an automobile accident can use from four to 40 units of red blood cells.

For more information about blood donation, contact the Shepeard Community Blood Center at 1-706-737- 4551 or visit the organization's website at www.shepeardblood.org.