March 26, 2020
Hana Miller has always been, and continues to be, a vocal advocate for blood donation. Amidst the severe blood shortage in the Twin Cities, which continues to suffer from the spread of COVID-19, Hana is doing right and organizing a blood donation campaign for her birthday this year.
“I’ve donated five times–the first on my 16th birthday–and passed out every time,” she said. “In fact, It was because of the tests that the Red Cross runs on their blood donors that I discovered that I was anemic. An average person should have a blood iron level around 16 and mine was recorded at a three!” After finding out she was ineligible to donate herself, Hana finds herself even more motivated to bring an awareness to blood donation.
The spread of coronavirus has forced a decline in the number of blood drives and donors in the United States “This is actually no surprise, considering the nearly 60% of the US Blood supply comes from donors over 45,” Hana stated. “This means that while the demand for blood has remained the same, possibly even increasing, our ability to meet that demand is decreasing. So considering I was stuck in my house for my birthday, and unable to spend the day as I wanted, I figured that the next best thing I could do was to try to help someone else. I decided to set up the donation campaign through the Red Cross.”
By pledging to Hana’s birthday campaign, donors can send financial aid directly to the Red Cross, as well as sign up to donate blood themselves. “What’s great is that the Red Cross, as well as its affiliates like Memorial Blood Center, are taking preventative measures so that donors can practice social distancing even while they donate, Hana said. “With the Mayo Clinic so close, as well as Level 1 trauma centers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, it’s especially important to help alleviate the further stress that this is putting on health professionals in our community. I’ve provided the link to the campaign as well as some interesting articles about blood donation.”
We are so proud of Hana for educating others, and being a leader in our community! Click here if you would like to learn more and support Hana’s birthday’s campaign through the Red Cross.
