The American Red Cross and blood collection go hand in hand. In fact, the Red Cross is responsible for 40% of the United States’ blood supply. In order to maintain a healthy supply of blood, the Red Cross holds over 500 blood drives every day across the country. With that many drives, we need a large group of talented and dedicated blood collection professionals.
This week, as we celebrate National Blood Collectors Week, we want to share one of our blood collection team members’ stories. David Deitz began his career with the American Red Cross the way many others do, as a volunteer. David was a volunteer and consistent blood donor for the Red Cross before joining our blood collections team.
David’s Red Cross journey began in 2020, when his father contracted COVID-19. Unfortunately, due to his rare blood type and limited availability from the surge of cases, he was unable to receive convalescent plasma treatment. While his father fortunately made a recovery, this experience motivated David to visit a blood drive and try donating blood for the first time.
David describes his first experience with the Red Cross as “marvelous.”
“You know what? I have free time, I can volunteer. And so I started volunteering a month after I donated… and I realized that this was a great atmosphere. Everyone coming in was happy because they were there to help someone,” recalls David.
David is currently working with the Red Cross as a phlebotomist in the Evansville area. He particularly enjoys being on the mobile unit because he can meet new people while working. He also continues to be a blood donor for the organization, recently reaching the milestone of donating three gallons of blood in July.
“I wake up excited going into work and then I go home feeling like a hero. I know that the work that I did with my donors and the volunteers [is not only going to impact the life of a patient] but it’s going to impact the lives that are connected to that person…it’s just a small act of kindness, but it has such a profound impact on so many lives,” concludes David.
The need for blood is constant and it’s the generosity of blood donors that allows us to carry on our lifesaving mission and help patients in need. You can help by scheduling an appointment in the days and weeks to come by visiting redcrossblood.org.