Be a Winter Warrior

As winter settles in, so do the challenges to collecting blood. The American Red Cross is teetering on a blood shortage, and it could disrupt lifesaving care for patients who urgently need transfusions. After a busy holiday season, the combination of severe weather, packed schedules and seasonal illnesses has created a perfect storm for declining donations.

But there is good news: You can help change that. Now through February, the Red Cross is calling on compassionate individuals to step up as Winter Warriors—donors who brave the winter weather and give blood or platelets to keep hospital shelves stocked and ready for emergencies.

Why Winter Is So Tough on the Blood Supply

Winter is traditionally one of the hardest seasons for blood collection. Snow, ice and freezing temperatures often force blood drive cancellations and prevent donors from traveling safely to appointments. At the same time, cold and flu season causes many would-be donors to delay or cancel their donation.

Yet the need for blood doesn’t take a snow day.

Who’s Needed Most Right Now?

While all blood types are needed, donors with Type O, A negative and B negative are especially vital.

• Type O-negative is the universal blood type—emergency room teams rely on it when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type.

• Type O-positive is the most commonly used blood type for Rh-positive recipients.

  
  

Platelet donors are also urgently needed. Platelets help with clotting and are critical for trauma patients and people undergoing cancer treatment. But because they must be transfused within five days, the supply is constantly under pressure.

How You Can Be a Winter Warrior

Becoming a Winter Warrior is simple—and your hour-long donation could save more than one life.

Before you donate:

• Drink plenty of water.

• Eat an iron‑rich meal (think spinach, beans, red meat).

• Avoid fatty foods if possible.

  
  

How often you can give:

• Whole blood can be donated every 56 days.

• Power Red donations can be made every 112 days.

  
  

Every donation has an impact. More than a quarter of all blood products are used in emergency or critical-care situations—from trauma victims to cancer patients, from heart surgery to organ transplant recipients. Find a blood drive near you and make an appointment to donate by visiting redcrossblood.org.