This holiday season, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the American Red Cross suggest giving blood, the gift of life. Birmingham’s Biggest Blood Drive will be held just after Christmas at the Riverchase Galleria. The winter holiday season is a time of particular blood need, as regular donation schedules are often disrupted by holiday activities.
The drive will begin Saturday, Dec. 26, and continue through Monday, Dec. 28. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. each day, at the Riverchase Galleria, third floor, Tower Conference Room and Balcony.
All blood types are needed, and donors should bring their driver’s license or two other forms of identification. All presenting donors will receive a T-shirt, while supplies last.
UAB is one of the largest users nationally of blood supplied by the Red Cross. Donors can give blood up to six times a year, every eight weeks. The process takes a little over an hour; the actual blood collection usually takes eight to 10 minutes.
Blood products are used during surgery, transplantation, trauma care, difficult pregnancies and cancer treatment. It is not unheard-of for a single patient to require as many as 100 units.