Imagine…It’s a typical day – driving home from work, running errands, or visiting a friend. As you head down the highway, you are hit by an inattentive driver. Injuries are sustained and you lose consciousness. The trauma team arrives and works to stabilize you. While enroute to the hospital, the emergency team provides a lifesaving whole blood transfusion to replace the blood you’ve lost.
By receiving this transfusion in the field, your chance of survival is significantly increased. What might have happened without that special blood transfusion?
The Impact of HERO+ Whole Blood
Did you know that O Positive whole blood donations made at We Are Blood allow Central Texas EMS agencies to perform pre-hospital transfusions for local patients?
We Are Blood’s HERO+ Program is a community of blood donors committed to providing our emergency teams in our ten-county area with whole blood to perform lifesaving transfusions for patients at the scene of an accident or en route to the hospital. The HERO+ program supports local first responder agencies including Austin-Travis County EMS and Williamson County EMS with more agencies in the process of implementation.
In 2019, We Are Blood began partnering with local EMS agencies so their paramedics could perform pre-hospital transfusions int the field. Since then, hundreds of local patients have received lifesaving pre-hospital transfusions thanks to the HERO+ program. However, the program is solely dependent on the generosity and commitment of O Positive whole blood donors at We Are Blood.
What is a HERO+?
A hero is someone admired for their courage, achievements and qualities. We believe that all We Are Blood whole blood, platelet and plasma donors hold this title. In the case of the HERO+ Program, however, these special whole blood donors are Helping Emergency Responders with O+ blood.
Did you know that O Positive blood can be transfused into any patient who has a positive blood type? Over 80% of the population has a positive blood type – that’s a lot of people – which means O Positive blood is highly needed. O Positive blood has other special powers too – it’s safest for those who have been involved in a traumatic accident and patients undergoing surgery or cancer treatments.
All O Positive blood donations at We Are Blood are tested for levels of specific antibodies. Donors whose levels are below a certain threshold can be carried by EMS agencies for pre-hospital transfusion. While not all individuals have these antibody levels, We Are Blood relies on all O Positive donors to be champions in our effort to better serve and inspire our local patients and the Greater Austin area communities.
Become Someone’s HERO+
Every day, patients in your community need blood transfusions to survive and thrive. We rely on the generosity of volunteer donors like you to help ensure our Central Texans are kept safe and healthy.
If you have O Positive blood, you could be the HERO+ that makes a lifesaving difference for a local Texan in need. Make an appointment to donate blood today.