FALMOUTH, Maine — This Wednesday, March 22, is NEWS CENTER Maine's annual blood drive day. It's a day when we partner with the American Red Cross and open five blood drive donation centers across the state to encourage Mainers to roll up their sleeves and donate to help save lives.
This year, the donation centers are in Portland, Bangor, Waterville, Kennebunk, and Rockport. More than 250 people have already signed up to donate today.
One unit of blood can help save up to three lives. In order to meet patient demand in Maine, the Red Cross needs to collect 152 pints of whole blood every day. That means 1,064 Mainers each week need to roll up a sleeve.
Based on the numbers of the donations scheduled today, NEWS CENTER Maine and the American Red Cross hope to collect 279 pints of blood which could help up to 837 patients in need.
It's blood that could end up helping 1-year-old James Anderson, who was born with a Factor 1 deficiency blood disorder called afibrinogenemia. James relies on a life-saving medicine that gives him that much needed clotting component made from plasma.
"James is 14 months. He is the cutest little baby ever," his mother, Nolyn Anderson, said.
When he was born in January of 2022, doctors quickly realized he had some sort of rare blood disorder. His blood was not clotting normally, which caused him bleed uncontrollably.
"They drew some labs. The labs were off the charts, and so they took them right to the NICU," his mother explained.
"What they thought was Factor 1 deficiency or afibrinogenemia," his father, Dylan Anderson, said.
James was born without the protein that helps his blood clot, so any potential injury could result in uncontrolled bleeding.
"There is only two people in Maine that have it, and he's one in a million," his mother said.
"But there's a medicine, and it just becomes a part of your normal life," Nolyn Anderson expressed.
It's life-saving medicine for baby James, one he will use for the rest of his life.
Nowadays, he gets an infusion of that clotting protein through a central line in his chest every four days.
"As long as he has his medicine, there's no difference between him and his sister or him and any other children. He can go and play sports and live a normal life," Dylan Anderson said.
James' grandfather, Gary Anderson, has been donating blood and platelets for decades to help as many people as possible. He said he knows his donation will probably not go directly to benefit his grandson, but someone else who is rolling up their sleeve, just like him, is helping.
"I generally come as often as its convenient for me to get here," Gary Anderson said. "I live right here in the city, so it's easy to come here to Forest Avenue."
The Forest Avenue location for the Red Cross is one of the donation centers in Portland that Gary Anderson frequents.
"Well, it's pretty easy to do," he said. "I feel like everybody gives something that they are able to give. People who are wealthy might donate some of their money. I have a commodity which is healthy blood, so it makes me feel good to donate my blood products."
The Andersons say they will forever be thankful of the donations that volunteers make that is helping keep baby James healthy.
"It takes six donors to make a bottle. People donating just gives us a normal life," Nolyn Anderson said.
If you can't donate today, you can choose another time or location by clicking here.