Founded in 1974 in Davenport, Iowa, ImpactLife provides lifesaving blood products to more than 120 hospitals and emergency medical service providers across Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. While most think those tragic events are the main need for blood, Public Relations Manager Kirby Winn shares that is not the case:
“The most common reason for a blood transfusion actually is cancer, whether it is the disease itself, the effect of cancer on the body, or the effect of the side effects of cancer treatments. A lot of people need either a red blood cell transfusion or platelets or plasma. We think about the traumas, if there is a car accident or something happens on a farm or a work, anything involving blood loss or a hemorrhage, sure, those folks are also going to receive blood. It could be in the emergency room or in some cases even on a helicopter, air ambulance, some of those are carrying blood now. But it really affects more people for more common reasons unfortunately because there is a lot of cancer out there; 20 percent or more of blood transfusions are given for that reason.”
Through December 5th, Abbott has teamed up with the Big Ten Conference to host the ‘We Give Blood Drive’ through ImpactLife, where each blood donation made scores a point for the donor’s school of choice, while also coming together to fight the largest blood shortage in a generation.
