MACON, Ga. — American Red Cross recently announced its non-profit is experiencing an emergency blood shortage, following recent extreme temperatures and people taking to the roads with summer travel.
The Red Cross released a statement, saying that blood supply has dropped by 25%, leaving them low on their type O inventory. Type O, both positive and negative, is vital for patients who have life-threatening injuries and emergency treatment.
The humanitarian organization said the heat impacted 100 blood drives last month. With Tropical Storm Debby's impact throughout the Southeast, they said recovering from the shortage has been hard.
John Turner, 76, has dedicated half his life to helping Red Cross keep pints of blood on the shelves.
"I was one of the first platelet donors in Macon," Turner said.
He said when his daughter was in daycare, one of her classmate's fathers died in a tragic accident and that's when he discovered a new purpose.
"His daddy got killed in a car wreck and they were having a blood drive in his honor," Turner said. "When I went to pick her up they were asking if I could go donate blood that day, and so I did."
After that day, Turner said he never stopped giving blood, making his most recent donation no. 331. Turner is reaching milestones along the way; Turner said he has donated 38 gallons of blood. He wears a blood donation pin with the number 38 on it. He commits to giving a pint every 56 days.
"One more time [and] I'll replace it with a 39-gallon," Turner said.
His service doesn't go unnoticed.
"I had on my Red Cross donating T-shirt and this lady come up and hugged and told me thank you and I didn't know her from Adam," Turner said. "But I talked out to her and found out her daughter's alive today because somebody donated blood."
Turner said, from 1967 to 1971, before he was an avid blood donor, he did a different type of service.
"The first time I did it when I was in the Navy, and then we didn't have any choice. they said you're O positive, you're gonna donate," Turner said.
He said he encourages others to help rebuild the blood supply.
"Just come in and donate, you'll never know when you'll need it yourself," Turner said.
Now you can track how far your donations go, no matter how many miles.
"I've had mine go as far as Puerto Rico," Turner said.
Red Cross said if people donate during the month of August, they'll receive a $20 Amazon gift card.