Think Pink and Donate Blood

Local Blood Center Raises Awareness for a Disease that Affects Millions

10/10/22 

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is raising awareness and asking our community to donate blood this October to help replenish the ongoing needs and to raise awareness for a disease that affects millions of women each year, breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Every year, thousands of women in the U.S. are diagnosed with the disease. 13% of women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, which is about 1 in 8 women in the U.S., according to breastcancer.org. The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown, but cancer occurs when cells in the breast divide and grow without normal control, forming tumors.

Cancer patients need red blood cells and platelet transfusions to aid their treatments. Platelets are vital to people battling cancer, which make up less than 1% of our blood and help the body repair damaged blood vessels. 

Donations of blood helped Suzanne Boase Honeycutt fight breast cancer. In 2015, Suzanne was told she had breast cancer. After enduring a double mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy, she is finally cancer-free. Suzanne contracted an infection during her chemotherapy treatment and required a blood transfusion to recover. Today, Suzanne is a breast cancer survivor.

According to Suzanne Boase Honeycutt, “the most beautiful thing imaginable” is “someone taking an hour or two out of their day to give the gift of life (blood).” Honeycutt emphasized the significance of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center by saying, “They save lives and help everyone in our community.”

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is seeing a demand for platelets. Platelets only have a five-day shelf life, which is why we need consistent platelet donors. You’re able to donate platelets every seven days, up to 24 times a year. 

To help, find a location to donate or host a blood drive. 

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is the sole provider of blood and blood components 24/7 to more than 170 hospitals and health care facilities in a 26-county Texas Gulf Coast region. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is a nonprofit organization accredited by the Food and Drug Administration.