New York Blood Center hosts blood drive in memory of Islip resident

New York Blood Center (NYBC) will host a blood drive next week in memory of a beloved member of the Islip community.

The blood drive, to be held from 1:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22 at St. Mary RC Church in East Islip, is to honor the memory of James Amoroso, who passed away after courageously battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Amoroso’s family was granted the gift of more time with him due to the generosity of strangers who donated the blood that was used in his life-saving transfusions. In his memory, the Amoroso family is encouraging the community to pay it forward by donating blood to help others who are fighting for their lives.

NYBC recently issued an urgent call for type O+ and O- blood donations. The current supply of O- blood has dropped to just two days, and overall collections are nearly 20% below the level needed to meet hospital demands. This drop in donations is due to seasonal factors such as school breaks, holiday travel, and busy spring schedules.

It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.

Click here to make an appointment for this blood drive.

For more information on NYBC’s life saving work visit: nybc.org