Downingtown mom hopes nationwide blood emergency declared by Red Cross ends quickly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Red Cross has declared a nationwide blood emergency because supplies are critically low.
Red Cross officials are calling this a trifecta – the holiday, so many people are sick and the bad weather – all combined to keep people away from donating blood.
One mom from Downingtown hopes that changes quickly.
"I get to be a mom because of really amazing blood donors," Kayleigh Summers said.
Summers received 143 units of blood after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism at Paoli Hospital during the birth of her son.
"I wish I could thank each and every one of the hundreds of blood donors that donated to save my life," Summers said.
But the blood supply that helped save Summers is running dangerously low, prompting the American Red Cross to declare a blood emergency.
"We had sort of the trifecta in this area," Jennifer Graham, the CEO of Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross, said.
Graham says the holiday season is traditionally low for donations, but this year, there was a spike in respiratory infections that forced a lot of donation cancelations.
"We anticipated collecting a lot more blood than we actually did," Graham said.
Bad weather has been the third element impacting blood donations.
"When there's that severe weather, blood drive cancelations happen," Graham said. "They need to to make sure everyone is safe."
The Philadelphia tri-state region usually collects 4,000 units of blood a week. There were 200 fewer donations on Christmas week and an additional 250 fewer donors in the first week of the new year.
"We are working with our hospitals to triage to figure out which hospitals need which products right now," Graham said.
The Red Cross is part of a national system with the ability to move blood products to where they're needed.
But with supplies down everywhere, the whole system is strained, making getting more donors a priority.
"I had never donated blood, I was too scared," Summers said. "I was afraid of needles. Now, I donate as often as I can because I know I can save a mom like me."
