Sign up to give
blood Nov. 30
Redcrossblood.org
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The drive to see family for the holidays, long pent up during COVID-19, is released and that means accidents and that means an urgent need for blood donations.
Joe Olzacki of the American Red Cross said given that blood only lasts 33 days and the dismal blood collection in September and October, blood drives, including the one from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 30 is vital.
The Putnam Rotary Club, the Putnam Business Association and the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center are co-sponsoring the blood drive at the Y and are looking for people to sign up to donate at redcrossblood.org .
“Thank God for the people in Putnam,” Olzacki said. “This is a very critical time of year that we have to worry about.”
At the head of the line will be the drive’s ambassador Normand Perron who, in 44-plus years of donating, has given 28 gallons of blood.
His role model, years ago, was his brother former police Chief Ed Perron. When Norm Perron’s first wife got leukemia, a blood cancer, there was a time when she had to go to the hospital and needed blood urgently and they his O-negative (universal).
Perron decided this was something he needed to continue. He tries to give every 56 days.
Over the years, he’s seen the need keep increasing. “The Red Cross is highly highly in need.”
Over the years, he’s seen the process streamlined and made easy and efficient. “They’ve accelerated the process online,” he said.
Sign up are simple at redcrossblood.org. The donor fills out a questionnaire online, prints it, and brings it with them to the donation site.
Also at the website are recommendations for making a good donor. Starting a week or more before the drive, take in water and foods high in protein and iron so the blood is built up enough to be donated.
With much of the work done online, Perron said often he’s at the blood drive site less than 30 minutes. Years ago there might have been 12 people in front of him, now there’s perhaps three or four.
One time, he said, he went to the head of the line. When he came to a blood drive at the VFW Hall a helper overhead him say he was O-negative. “Come with us — now,” the worker said. There was a little girl at Hartford Hospital in desperate need. Within minutes, Perron’s blood was on its way to Hartford “and the little girl did OK.”
Olzacki recounted his first experiences at the American Red Cross.
They sent him to some blood drives so he could see what they were like. There was a gentleman who had a blood cancer and had already taken 100 pints. “Consider that the typical drive only gets 22 to 30 pints,” Olzacki said, “and you can see how urgent drives are.”
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are crucial times and “it was scary how low September and October collections were.” The Red Cross needs to make up for the days where only 14 people came and not all of them could give. Holidays like Columbus Day were the busiest they’ve been in years and that means accidents. Add surgeries and blood cancers … Olzacki said common sense says we need to be more prepared.
“Blood donors are very special people. They support humanity,” Olzacki said.

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