DES MOINES, Iowa — Many people donate blood, but one local blood donation center says they are in need of something a little more specific: platelets.
LifeServe Blood Center says every 15 seconds, someone is in need of a platelet donation. That statistic, combined with some recent upticks in donation needs, is why LifeServe is asking for people to become platelet donors.
Platelets are a part of blood that form clots and prevent bleeding, actions that can mean the difference between life and death for people who experience severe traumas such as cancer, burns, heart surgery or transplants.
Shay Willis with LifeServe says central Iowa has recently seen an uptick in those kinds of severe events.
"Because of that quantity of traumas in the amount of time, our supply of platelets got pretty low," Willis said. "Scary low, like four units on the shelf."
Donating platelets isn't much different than donating whole blood, according to Willis, but the process takes a little longer. During platelet donation, a donor is hooked up to a machine that separates platelets from red blood and plasma. The total process takes about two hours, but it's one that can greatly help people who've gone through traumatic situations.
"When those kinds of situations happen, obviously we need to spread the word that if you are a platelet donor, please consider coming in and giving the gift of life," Willis said.
Anyone who's interested in becoming a platelet donor can stop into any LifeServe Blood Center. A list of locations is available here.