WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The American Red Cross of Georgia says its blood supply is the lowest for this time of year in more than a decade.
Tammy Bearden with the American Red Cross says blood drives usually pick up in the fall, so it's rare to see a shortage this time of year, but right now, the Red Cross is facing an emergency appeal and needs to collect around 10,000 extra units in the next several weeks to recover.
For John McIntyre, donating blood means much more than helping the community -- it's personal.
"It saved my father's life so many different times, the blood that was given. Whether it was at Emory and they used it at Emory, or whether they used it at the hospital in Dublin, he needed that blood unless he would have been gone many years before that," said McIntyre.
In 1976, doctors diagnosed McIntyre's father with lung cancer, prostate and bladder cancer in the 80s, and he had quadruple heart bypass in 1978.
"He had open heart surgery and he had five bouts of cancer, and during the open heart surgery and then during one of the cancer treatments, he had to have my blood. I also heard him talk about it sometimes, because he was a World War II vet and all the things that happened in the war, he knew how important blood was," said McIntyre.
John joined Christ United Methodist more than 20 years ago. The church holds quarterly blood drives.
"About four years ago, they had an opening for the blood drive coordinator, so I decided to jump in and carry on the legacy of my mother and father. They retired. They decided to go ahead and work with the American Red Cross because it's important to them," said McIntyre.
Bearden says the need to donate is constant, especially going into the winter when donations typically drop.
"It could be even more of a drop because, during this emergency appeal, we have seen like a half a day supply of O blood, which means surgeries would be canceled, trauma patients may not get the blood they need," said Bearden
"I think it is one of the easiest, simplest things a person can do to have a very powerful impact on a lot of people," said McIntyre.
If you want to get out and donate blood, you can call 1-800-REDCROSS, or visit the Red Cross website. You can make an appointment at a blood drive going on near you, or you can walk in.