The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is struggling to keep platelets on the shelf.
"We have come critically close to running completely out and obviously when we can't fill our hospital orders our patients are the ones that suffer," Public Relations Manager Monica Reyes said.
Platelets are critical for cancer patients. They help people undergoing cancer treatment recover. The blood cells also help transplant patients and people who suffer serious injuries.
Ron White donates platelets every two weeks. He’s been donating blood cells for more than twenty years.
"Faithful donor, I guess you can call it," White said.
His devotion is fueled by hope for cancer patients that benefit from his donations like toddler River Laurence and a little girl he met more than a decade ago named Bubbles.
"When I first met her, she was six and she was going through chemo,” White said. “She had no hair, no eyebrows, from the chemo. She would walk in a room and smile."
Her smile is with him until this day. It motivates him when the lengthy donation seems unbearable.
Platelet donations take two hours and the blood cells have a shelf life of five days.
Reyes says in order to service all 44 counties and help patients in need they need an average of 85 donors daily and right now they are struggling to even get half of the donors needed. When donations drop, Reyes says they can’t meet hospital needs, which could mean cancer patients don’t receive the blood cells they need to recover from cancer treatment.
"To be able to keep someone alive, White said. “I mean, my goodness, why wouldn't you."
For White, his time is a small price for cancer patients like Bubbles and Laurence.
Laurence lost his battle to cancer, but the thought of helping keep him healthy while he was on Earth brings White peace.
As for Bubbles, it’s miracles that keep his hope alive.
“I helped keep her alive," White said.
