ST. LOUIS — On March 22, the American Red Cross will host the "Community Call to Action Blood Drive."
The blood drive is set up to invite blood donors to give in honor of a first responder. The Red Cross said first responders often need blood after being injured in the line of duty, according to a news release from the Red Cross.
The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Busch Stadium, according to the release.
Colin Ledbetter and Nathan Spiess, both officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, were shot in the line of duty in January 2022. Ledbetter needed almost 40 units of blood to save his life, the release said.
Spiess and Ledbetter are now healthy and plan to give blood at the Community Call to Action Blood Drive, according to the release.
“I saw firsthand how blood donation can save lives,” Ledbetter said in the release. “[Thirty-nine] people I don’t know donated blood used to save me. Blood saves lives. It saved mine.”
Anyone who donates in the Community Call to Action Blood Drive will receive a $10 Visa prepaid card via email, and will be automatically entered to win a $3,000 prepaid Visa card, the release said.
Also mentioned in the release, more people are now eligible to donate blood because of a change in FDA eligibility.
"Individuals who spent time in certain European countries and were previously considered to have been exposed to a potential risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, commonly referred to as mad cow disease. Those who lived in or were stationed in the UK, Ireland or France who have never tried to give blood may now be eligible to give blood with the Red Cross," the release said.
To learn more about the American Red Cross, click here.
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