SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah mother is pleading with the community to donate blood and platelets amid a national shortage.
Jori Niemann’s 4-year-old son Ripplen has pediatric neuroblastoma, an incredibly dangerous form of cancer.
“If we don't have someone that donates blood and platelets, I don't know that my son's going to live another day,” said Niemann.
He relies on platelets and blood transfusions to survive, and only a few months into his 18-month treatment, he has been turned away by the hospital staff and has had to wait longer times for blood and platelets because there aren’t enough available.
“So we're literally at the mercy of 'Are they gonna have a donation?' And what happens if they don't or if they have too many kids that are critical because they've been having to put them off?” said Niemann. “I just can't even put into words how terrifying that is.”
The American Red Cross has had a record-breaking 534 blood drives canceled nationwide in January because of winter weather conditions.
“This year we're kind of in a particularly difficult spot,” said Jeremiah Lefranca, the executive director for the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. “We've seen a significant drop in donations to the point that we're 15,000 short nationwide, so that has an impact on our supply to local hospitals.”
The organization is offering $20 Amazon gift cards to those who donate in February as an incentive during this critical time.
“If you can't get out and donate, you can also look at having your company, your church or your community organization host a blood drive,” said Lefranca.
Niemann said she knows it can be hard without a personal reason to donate blood to make the time to do it.
“I was a nurse for a long time and I'll be honest, I didn't donate until I started having special needs kids who are dependent on donations, and there were a lot of times that I couldn’t,” she said, “But it's super important because kids like mine, a boat that I never thought I would be in, are dependent on them.”
She said she hopes if you don’t know someone who relies on blood to survive, that you can make Ripplen your reason to donate.
If you want to help with Ripplen’s medical expenses specifically, you can donate to a GoFundMe here.
