November is Lung and Pancreatic Cancer Month

Blood Donors, Blood Drives Aid Cancer Patients

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and New York Blood Center (NYBC) serving more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, calls upon our communities to please join the fight against cancer by donating blood. Healthy people of all blood types and ethnicities are encouraged to donate and help save lives.  Blood donations are particularly needed from O-negative, B-negative and A-negative types.

About one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood.

Hospital use of blood products has increased due to surgeries, injuries and care of cancer patients.  Cancer patients may require frequent blood transfusions because treatment often destroys healthy blood cells along with the cancer cells.  Thus, in cancer patients, red blood cell transfusions to fight anemia and platelet transfusions to control bleeding are often needed.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, and by far the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  It is estimated that 116,750 men and 105,770 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  Because it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, the survival rate is poor compared with that of other types of cancer.  It is estimated that 21,370 men and 21,770 women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.

Giving blood today can aid cancer patients in their treatment and recovery.  Organizing a blood drive is also a thoughtful way of honoring or remembering someone affected by cancer.  Hundreds of these dedicated blood drives have been held by loved ones and hosted by employers, business organizations, community groups, and schools.

People can donate one pint of blood every 56 days.  Blood that is donated now and within the next several weeks will be used by patients who need it most during the busy holiday season.  

NYBC thanks every individual blood donor and the wide variety of organizations that sponsor blood drives throughout the year.

To donate blood or for information on how to organize a blood drive, please call Toll Free:  1-800-933-2566

Visit:  www.nybloodcenter.org

If you cannot donate but still wish to participate in bringing crucial blood products to people in need, please consider volunteering at a local blood drive.

Any company, community organization, place of worship, or individual may host a blood drive.  NYBC also offers special community service scholarships for students who organize community blood drives during the summer.  Blood donors receive free mini-medical exams on site including information about their temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and hemoglobin level.  Eligible donors include those people at least age 16 (with parental permission or consent), who weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, are in good health and meet all Food & Drug Administration and NY or NJ State Department of Health donor criteria.  People over 75 may donate with a doctor's note.

About New York Blood Center:  New York Blood Center (NYBC) is one of the nation's largest non-profit, community-based blood centers. NYBC has been providing blood, transfusion products and services to hospitals serving more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  NYBC is also home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute and the National Cord Blood Program at the Howard P. Milstein National Cord Blood Center, the world's largest public cord blood bank.  NYBC provides medical services and programs (Clinical, Transfusion, and Hemophilia Services) through our medical professionals along with consultative services in transfusion medicine. Please visit us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/newyorkbloodcenter.  Follow us on Twitter: @NYBloodCenter.  

CONTACT: Leslie Gonzalez of the New York Blood Center, +1-718-797-7804 (Office), +1-646-342-3038 (Mobile), or [email protected]

SOURCE New York Blood Center