Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
BROCKTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Some mallgoers in Brockton spent the day after Thanksgiving giving rather than buying.
The Westgate Mall hosted the first in a series of blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross Friday.
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Amber Anglin of the Red Cross told WBZ NewsRadio the need for blood donations is quite high because the organization is experiencing the worst blood shortage in more than a decade.
"We’re trying to increase that supply so we could keep up with the demand," Anglin said. "Everyone’s afraid of those needles, and it’s two seconds and you’re sitting there, laying [sic] down and doing nothing but squeezing a ball and helping someone. You’re saving three people in one donation."
Anglin said it only takes 6-7 minutes to donate whole blood, while it takes a bit longer for a Power Red donation, in which a machine collects two units of red cells and returns the platelets and plasma to the donor.
Charles Lima of Easton elected to undergo the latter procedure.
"It’s very seamless," Lima said. "Helps if you have good veins, which I do. I just sit here and relax for about a half hour."
"They make you feel very comfortable here, and it’s nothing," Don from Brockton said while lying down on a table during his donation. "And it’s not painful, and you feel a sense of accomplishment and duty afterwards."
The next blood drives at the Westgate Mall are Monday, Dec. 2, and Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. Both events are scheduled from noon to 5:00 p.m. and appointments are required.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.