Recent articles in the Sun Journal highlighted the connection between our community’s supply of blood and the patients who need it to survive. The story also served to dramatically illustrate just how tenuous that link can become. A local man’s surgery to repair a shattered pelvis was postponed in order to have enough blood for a more immediate emergency. The delay meant putting this patient into an induced coma to keep him stable until enough blood could be found.

I would like to thank the Red Cross blood donors in Maine who responded to the need.

There is a chronic shortage of blood in Maine, in New England and throughout the United States. Blood usage is increasing as the population ages and more sophisticated medical procedures are developed. Fortunately, blood donated to the Red Cross is “Blood Without Borders.” This precious resource is shared so that no patient must go without.

Thanks to the increased public awareness, blood donations to the Red Cross have greatly increased in recent days. We must remember that it is blood already donated that is used when tragedy strikes. Only by having blood donors who give on a regular basis can we hope to keep enough blood on hand for every emergency.

In just a few short weeks, the holiday season will be upon us – a time when blood supplies traditionally decline. I challenge each of us to find it in our hearts to make giving blood a habit for life.

Harold Crabill, director of Maine Operations for the American Red Cross, Portland