When a great white shark bit Steve Bruemmer off of Lovers Point in June, the immediate focus was getting him out of the water and applying tourniquets to stop the bleeding. But soon he was going to need blood, about 33 units he said, or roughly four gallons.
“Everyone sees the heroes who rescued me from the water.” said Bruemmer. “But the blood donors are the heroes day in and day out who are saving lives all the time.”
In Monterey and counties all over the nation, there’s a drastic need for eligible residents to donate blood, said Vitalant Communications Manager Kevin Adler, a national nonprofit blood services provider. Blood donations are needed for life-saving procedures such as Bruemmer’s operation, childbirth complications and regular transfusions for cancer patients. Now, Vitalant is especially encouraging blood donations because they tend to drop during the holidays and winter months.
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