Daniel Prince
The Blood Connection is offering a $50 bonus eGift card with donation
For the month of January, The Blood Connection continues to add extra incentives to give the gift of life. The demand for blood remains high across the area. Hoping to spur more donations, anyone who donates whole blood with The Blood Connection at a blood drive or donation center between now and the end of the month will earn 2000 bonus TBC rewards points, which is worth a $50 eGift card. That is in addition to the $20 eGift card that donors receive instantly. The bonus points will post to donors’ TBC Rewards account between 1-3 days after the donation. The Blood Connection emphasizes that blood donors are needed for there to be enough blood for its 100 hospital partners and their patients.
There are three upcoming blood drives The Blood Connection wants you to know about, including two in Union. They will be in the Walmart parking lot today from 2-7 p.m. They will be back at Walmart next Friday, January 27, also from 2-7 p.m. They will also be at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 203 Cedar Springs Road in Spartanburg on Sunday, January 29, from 11-4. Appointments are recommended for the drives. You can make an appointment online at donate.thebloodconnection.org and search for blood drives in Union County. You can also save some time and fill out your health history questionnaire online before you go to donate.
To prepare for your blood donation, be sure to eat a healthy and hearty meal before donating. Drink at least 2 cups of water before donating. Bring your donor card or photo ID with your birth date with you when you donate. Platelet donors must also be aspirin-free for 48 hours prior to donating.
If you qualify, you can donate double red blood cells. These are the most transfused blood product and thus are most needed by local hospitals. Red blood cells are typically given to trauma patients, newborns, and others suffering from blood loss or blood disorders. It does take around 20-30 minutes longer than a whole blood donation. You can make a double donation up to three times a year. If you make a double donation, you will receive extra TBC reward points. A donor must be 16 years old or older, meet certain height and weight requirements, and have a hemoglobin level of 13.3 or higher.