CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville resident Karissa Perry doesn’t remember much from the day four years ago when her premature twins were born.
She remembers losing consciousness, and she described the experience as a blur. And she remembers doctors telling her she had lost too much blood. “It was challenging all around,” Perry said of the emergency C-section that followed complications during her pregnancy.
Doctors told Perry she needed a blood transfusion immediately. “At first, I was kind of apprehensive about it,” she said. “And then I kind of realized I needed it, and my kids needed me to get it.”
That transfusion made the difference. Days later, Perry was able to recover quickly enough to drive herself back and forth to the neonatal intensive care unit to see her newborn twins. She was able to be home with her 6-year-old son. And, she said, she was able to survive. “I’m here, and I might not have been,” Perry said. “It’s worth it just knowing that you could save a life.”
As blood banks serving Clarksville and Middle Tennessee warn of critically low supplies following the holiday season, Perry’s story highlights how quickly blood can become a matter of life and death.
Blood Assurance warns of declining supply
Blood Assurance account manager Suzanne Adkisson said the nonprofit blood bank supplies most hospitals across Middle Tennessee, including those serving Clarksville. “Our mission is to collect blood, to educate people and to share the need for blood donations as a community service,” she said.
Adkisson said donations often decline during and after the holidays as travel and severe weather disrupt routines, even though the need for blood remains constant – and unpredictable. “Nobody ever wakes up in the morning planning to need blood that day. And yet all types of accidents happen that may necessitate that,” she said.
Car accident and violent crime victims, cancer patients and those with other serious health conditions may all require blood, plasma or platelet transfusions. Adkisson said about 60% of Blood Assurance’s platelet supply goes to cancer patients.
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Type O blood is especially critical in emergencies because it can be used when a patient’s blood type is unknown. “We do need them to come out and donate as much as they’re willing,” she said. “But all blood types are needed.”
Several benefits of being a blood donor
Blood Assurance also recognizes donors through several programs: Type O donors can join the HerO Club for gift card rewards, platelet donors can join the Heart of Gold Club, and the Thank the Donor program lets recipients send a QR-code note of gratitude directly to donors.
Donation rules have also changed over the years. Some people who were previously ineligible – including veterans stationed in European countries – can now donate. Adkisson advises anyone with questions about eligibility to check online of call Blood Assurance.
Adkisson described the blood supply as a “moving target,” adding that donation levels are not consistently meeting demand. She said 540 units of blood are needed every day to supply all of their hospital partners. “Every number is a person, every person has a story, and every story matters,” she said.
For Perry, enjoying life at home with her now-4-year-old twins, the ongoing shortage is frightening. “It makes me worried,” she said. “I tell everybody to give blood.”
How to donate blood in Clarksville
Blood Assurance is located at 1767 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 931-919-2591.
The American Red Cross is located at 1760 Madison St. More information is available on their website or by calling (800) 733-2767.
This is Part 1 in a three-part series on the need for blood donation in Clarksville.
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