Those involved with blood donation agencies are quick to note that apart from the summer months, winter is the toughest time to attract life-saving donations.
by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
HAMILTON — Those involved with blood donation agencies are quick to note that apart from the summer months, winter is the toughest time to attract life-saving donations.
This winter’s large number of snowstorms has only exacerbated an already dire situation, according to Janet DiStefano, new business development manager for the Community Blood Council of New Jersey.
”We had more (donation) cancellations because of the snow. That really put us behind the 8-ball, trying to supply the hospitals and keep those shelves stocked,” Ms. DiStefano said during a blood drive at the Hamilton Municipal Building last Friday.
The drive, which yielded 28 units of blood, came on the heels of a drive at Nottingham High School Feb. 24 and 25, during which students donated over 200 units.
Another Community Blood Council drive was scheduled for Thursday in Robbinsville Township in the senior center on Route 130 from 2 to 8 p.m.
When local blood supply levels are so low, Ms. DiStefano explained, New Jersey hospitals rely on donations from outside the state, particularly in the mid west.
”The problem is they’re having the same weather conditions that we are, so that’s why we called for these emergency drives this week,” she said, adding that since a single donation is split three ways – red cells, platelets and plasma – a single unit can save up to three lives.
Red cell donations only last for 42 days and are typically used for accident victims, she said.
Platelets, use for those undergoing treatment for cancer or leukemia, only last five days, whereas plasma can be frozen for up to a year. Plasma, in addition be used for cancer patients, is also used for burn or shock victims.
One of the day’s donors, Steve Schmittinger, whose daughter works for the township, said it’s an easy way to help someone else.
”I’ve always given back all my adult life,” Mr. Schmittinger said. “It helps people and you never know it could help yourself. People get in accidents all the time.
”It’s not painful,” he added. “I just recommend everybody to take a little bit of time – it’s a good way to spend it.”
Nicole Glonek, CWA Local 1042 President, also on hand for the drive, said though she had donated before, she began in earnest after being able to donate to help her niece, who was suffering from a rare pediatric cancer.
”She was going to go for a procedure and they wanted to make sure they had enough blood,” Ms. Glonek said. “She has AB-negative blood, and almost everyone in my family is O-positive.
Since Ms. Glonek has O-negative blood, she can donate to anyone regardless of their blood type.
For those who may be on the fence – the center estimates only 3 percent of those eligible in New Jersey actually donate – Ms. Glonek says she simply tells her story.”I explain that it saved my niece’s life,” she said. “You could be saving the life of somebody else’s niece. You can even be saving the life of a loved one if heaven forbid they’re in a car accident or something and need blood.
”Not only is it a way to save a life, but it’s a way to make sy
For more information about donating blood, visit www.givebloodnj.org.

