Weather-related cancellations have prompted Canadian Blood Services to make a call for blood donations across Canada.
The most urgent need is for O negative and A negative blood types.
Extreme weather conditions have forced cancellation of 24 blood donor clinics since the end of December.
To meet demand, the blood service says it needs 31,000 people to roll up their sleeves across the country over the next three weeks.
The service hopes more than 3,100 of those donors will be in Alberta.
“A blizzard may stop us in our tracks, but the need for blood keeps on going — especially when it comes to blood types that are high in demand, like O negative blood,” says Mark Donnison, vice-president of donor relations for Canadian Blood Services.
O negative is the type used when there is no time to check a person’s blood type.
Sometimes it can take many blood donors to save one life.
Up to five units of blood may be needed for someone having heart surgery.
Two to eight units of blood can be needed to save someone with internal bleeding. As many as 50 donors may be needed to save someone seriously hurt in a car crash.
People who want to donate can go to www.blood.ca or call 1-888-236-6283 to make an appointment.