Cancer survivor asks everyone who is able to give blood
By Alec Newboles
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LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — Sept. 4 was declared Blood Donation Day in the state of Nevada. A local cancer survivor used the occasion to share her story and ask everyone who is able to give blood.
Iris Ayers was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013. She had to undergo a nine-hour evasive surgery that left her permanently disabled.
“I wasn’t supposed to survive,” she said about the procedure. “I received ten units of blood to keep me alive.”
Ayers still requires regular blood transfusions to fight her disease. She gets them on a regular basis, relying on the generosity of donors to stay alive. Since her diagnosis, she’s received 78 units of blood, roughly equal to 86 pints.
The entire country is dealing with a blood shortage, and all blood types are needed. Ayers said a single donation can save a life.
“It is so important that people come out, even during this pandemic crisis, and donate blood,” she said. “It saves lives. It doesn’t have to be for a cancer patient like myself. It could be for a trauma patient. It could be for anything. Kidney dialysis, surgeries.”
She added that while giving blood may seem scary to people who don’t like needles, the healthcare workers at blood drives go out of their way to make donors feel comfortable.
The American Red Cross has several blood drives scheduled throughout the month of September. Information is available on their website.
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