by Lara W. Moore
Special to the News
“The Life You Save…” may be more than just a catchy Flannery O’Connor story title, or an old National Highway Safety slogan.
Rather, for LifeSouth, it’s a full-circle concept. The nonprofit blood bank, which supports 125 hospitals in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, reserves its local donations for nearby hospitals. For instance, donations made in Cleveland support hospitals such as Habersham Medical Center, Spalding Regional Medical Center Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, North Fulton Hospital and the like.
Along with the Red Cross and other blood banks, LifeSouth expressed a need for donations amidst a dire national shortage.
“Locally, there is a severe blood shortage, and blood donors are asked to donate soon,” said Kyla Harris, LifeSouth’s district community development coordinator in a recent press release.
Blood bank officials attribute the shortage to the pandemic and holiday travel.
“Donating blood takes about an hour and can save three lives,” she added.
Donated blood can be used to help a multitude of people, ranging from cancer patients, to those with traumatic injuries or chronic illnesses. One such person is Dr. Wayne Lovell, the superintendent of Mountain Education Charter High School, who recently received a unit of blood.
“I ended up having a medical emergency … as I was getting the blood, I thought, ‘I never thought I’d be on the receiving end,” he said. “I was very thankful to have it when I needed it,” he added.
Lovell, who has Type O blood, even helped save an infant last spring by donating. LifeSouth had contacted him personally, because of his blood type as a universal donor, and said a child in Florida needed his help. He went to the nearest blood drive to oblige. “You know, you never know who might need something,” he said. “... now I see how important it is to do the small things. It doesn’t take much to donate blood and its nice to know it’s there when you need it,” Lovell added.
Mountain Education Charter High School, which focuses on academics and ultimately student character development, hosts blood drives on an ongoing basis as an expression of servant leadership. For the upcoming drive from 11-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at its Central Office location in Cleveland, Ga., the public is invited to attend.
“For those who are able, donating blood or platelets is a wonderful way for us to support our community and remind us of how we are part of a social tapestry,” said Dr. Joe Cash, assistant superintendent.
LifeSouth donor recruiters state that it is equipped to accommodate six donors per hour. Those interested may preregister at https://donors.lifesouth.org/donor/schedules/zip, select “30528” for the zipcode and Jan. 12 for the date, and select Mountain Education Charter High School from the list of drives.