Agency encourages residents to donate to save lives of others

Twenty-four times a year Gary Carter can be found at The Blood Center on North Lamar Boulevard. His routine visits of the past 55 years have amounted to 85 gallons of donated blood products.

"My dad [was a donor], and being in the medical field, I know how important it is," he said.

The Blood Center requires 200 daily donors to maintain its supply and relies on regular donors like Carter, Public Relations Manager Cindy Rowe said. In 2013 the center had 37,411 individual donors who made 48,180 red cell and 8,580 platelet donations.

The summer months and holidays are the hardest times for the organization to maintain its supply, Rowe said. The Blood Center uses incentives such as the Hands of the Donor program to offer points for donating blood. Points may be redeemed through the organization's online store.

The Blood Center was founded in 1951 and provides blood products to more than 37 hospitals in a 10-county region. In 1985 The Tissue Center division started, and the centers are now called The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas.

The Tissue Center handles tissue grafts for transplants in Central Texas, said Michele Andrews, director of tissue donor services. Donated tissue includes skin, bone, heart valves and nerves.

Rowe said donating blood is a selfless act.

"The feeling you get afterward is immeasurable because you know you've ... helped someone," she said. "There is no substitute for blood."

All about blood

• Whole blood: It contains all four components of blood: red and white cells, platelets and plasma. The center separates whole blood into its components. The donation process takes 45 minutes.
• Red blood cells: They carry oxygen throughout the body. Donations typically go to surgery or trauma patients. A person may donate red cells every 56 days, and red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days.
• Platelets: They control bleeding by clotting blood. Patients going through leukemia treatments often receive platelet donations. Platelets have a shelf life of five days, and people can donate every 10 days. The process takes 1.5 hours.
• Plasma: As the liquid part of blood, plasma transports water and nutrients throughout the body. It may be frozen and stored for one year.
• White blood cells: They protect the body against infection, diseases and bacteria. The white cells are discarded and not used.
• The donation process includes testing for cholesterol, iron, blood type, pulse, temperature and blood pressure.

Source: The Blood Center of Central Texas

The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas, 4300 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, 512-206-1266, www.inyourhands.org, Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tue., Thu. 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.