Donors needed to help replenish blood supply

A New Kensington mother is at her 9-year-old daughter's bedside at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh as she recovers from a stem cell transplant.

Isabella Bella Carabin needed the procedure when the cancer that struck her at 10 months of age came back after eight years of remission.

As Meredith Carabin, 32, keeps watch over Bella, she is keenly aware of not only her own child's need for blood, but the need of other children at the hospital this holiday season.

Since her transplant on Dec. 19, Bella has needed large amounts of platelets the tiny, spiky cells that allow blood to clot when there's a cut or bruise and also red blood cells every day.

We have been told multiple times there's a shortage, Meredith said. It's not by any means the fault of Children's Hospital or any health care institution. It's the fact people are not donating.

There's always a need for blood during the holidays, said Tamara Kilgore, a spokeswoman for Central Blood Bank.

The need for blood is constant so we can maintain the blood supply, she said.

Donors are encouraged to schedule appointments.

There is a particular need for platelets, which have a shorter shelf life than whole blood. While whole blood can last for 42 days, platelets are only good for five days, Kilgore said.

The upside is that those who are eligible to donate platelets can do it more often. Platelets can be donated every seven days, as many as 24 times a year; by comparison, whole blood can be donated only once every 56 days.

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Donors needed to help replenish blood supply