The medical professionals are still in need of blood products. Every day, men, women and children just like Sandy are diagnosed with various types of cancer and leukemia. Their treatment, like Sandy's, may include transfusions of blood and blood products like platelets. Donors with all blood types are needed to make those platelets, which are a fragile component of blood made from whole blood donations. Platelets have a short life-span of just five days.
People think the medical world can do it all nowadays.
It's not true. The medical professionals are still in need of blood products. In fact, it's an increasing need. It's like gold, because it can't be manufactured. Each year, thousands of patients with fatal blood diseases search the National Marrow Donor Registry to find a marrow donor.