Opinion: The need for blood, platelets and plasma never stops

The San Diego Union-Tribune

By Dave Oates

January 22, 2025

As the holiday season ends, so does much of the generosity that comes with it. Angel trees come down. Gift drives wrap up. Volunteer shifts at food banks return to their usual pace. During the holidays, giving feels urgent and visible. Once the decorations are packed away, much of that attention fades. 

But need doesn’t run on a seasonal calendar. One of the most critical, and overlooked, is the need for blood and blood components. Blood, platelets, and plasma are needed every day to keep hospitals running and patients alive, long after the holidays are over.

I've been donating for more than 25 years, and it started during another moment when donations surged: September 11, 2001. I was at work, glued to the news like millions of others, watching the attacks unfold. As a former U.S. Navy officer who had recently returned to civilian life, I felt stuck. Service had shaped much of my adult life, and suddenly, there was nothing I could do but watch. 

Then I saw a local news segment from the San Diego Blood Bank. A line of people wrapped around the building, each one hoping to donate blood. Their spokesperson thanked everyone for coming out but said something I’ll never forget: “There is always a need for blood, even when there isn’t a national emergency.”  

Before that day, I donated blood maybe two or three times, but it wasn’t a habit. After seeing that interview, I made an appointment. When I was told I could come back in two months, I did. Then I kept going. Over time, I began donating platelets and plasma as well. Today, I’ve donated more than 53 gallons of these life-saving blood components.  

What surprised me most wasn’t just how easy the donating process was but how little people know about it, and the misconceptions that prevent them from ever trying. I didn’t fully grasp the impact of donating until I experienced it firsthand. Whole blood is often used for surgeries, emergencies, and for someone living with a chronic condition. Platelets are critical for people undergoing cancer treatment, organ transplants, or recovering from serious trauma, and because they only last a few days, there are always in short supply. Plasma plays a key role in trauma care and in creating medications for people with immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders, and neurological diseases like primary immunodeficiency, hemophilia, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. 

Yet donations fall short of the need. Roughly 62 percent of Americans are eligible to donate, but only about 3% do. Even fewer donate components like platelets or plasma, though they are often the most urgently needed. In San Diego alone, more than 350 units of blood are needed each day to meet the need of local patients. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets. And nationwide, about 30,000 units of red blood cells, 6,000 units of platelets, and 6,000 units of plasma are needed daily.  

These numbers represent real people waiting for care that can’t happen without donors. For all the advances in modern medicine, there is still no substitute for human blood, platelets, or plasma. 

What I personally love is receiving my chart after each donation, showing where it was used. Sometimes it helped a child undergoing cancer treatment. Other times, an adult living with sickle cell disease. And in some cases, my plasma became part of medications that reduce pregnancy complications. It's a reminder that a few hours of my time can directly support someone else’s health or recovery. 

If everyone eligible donated just once a year, shortages would disappear. Hospitals would be prepared, and patients wouldn’t have to wait or worry. Helping doesn’t require a crisis or a holiday. A routine visit to donate blood, platelets, or plasma can make a real difference. 

The impact is simple and measurable. It starts by showing up. 

Oates, a public relations specialist, lives in San Diego