LONDONDERRY — The Saint Jude Parish Community Service Committee will sponsor the annual Winter American Red Cross Blood Drive Friday, Jan. 27, from 1 to 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall at 435 Mammoth Road.
As in past years, the need for blood donors and products is tremendous. However, with the recent little snowstorms and many donors sick with the usual winter ailments, many drives were canceled or did not meet their goals. This has greatly diminished the amount of blood products.
The Red Cross has less than a few days of available blood products for the New England region. This supply is needed for routine operations, emergency surgeries and more. Without a replenishment of supply, many routine procedures will need to be postponed.
The Red Cross has updated procedures to make the donation process easier, take less time and more comfortable for all.
To save time, call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org to set up an appointment.
As in past winter drives, the committee is conducting a bone marrow typing drive. The committee was approached by the family of a Londonderry resident who is in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Gerry Shuck of Londonderry suffers from an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and his cure is a transplant. The typing only takes a few minutes and the testing cost is usually covered by insurance.
Many Saint Jude volunteers will bake homemade treats and Chef Jim will prepare chili and clam chowder.
The Red Cross will have giveaways as well for all blood donors.
For more information on the drive, email Vinny Curro at vincurro@comcast.net.
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