Blood donors wanted: give hope to hospital patients when summer supply dips

Freestone Medical Center is hosting a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, August 3, at 764 W. Commerce St. in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus in front of the East Texas Medical Center building. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Janie Lightsey at (903) 389-1618.

Carter BloodCare says to #GiveForLife. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days. Other types of blood donations can be given more frequently. Make an appointment at a Carter BloodCare donor center near you, or donate at a local community blood drive. Carter BloodCare urges eligible blood donors to consider giving two to three times a year, if possible. Make an appointment this summer.

Remember to eat a nutritious meal and drink plenty of water one to two hours before giving blood. All donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, feel well on the day of donation, and present a government-issued photo ID each time they give blood.

Potential blood donors may volunteer beginning at age 16 with parental consent; 17-year-olds may give independently and there is no upper age limit for donating blood. For more information on donor eligibility and to make an appointment, call 1-800-366-2834 or visit carterbloodcare.org.