The Gift of Blood in the Heart of Brooklyn

A look back at my first blood donation as the U.S. faces an emergency blood shortage and the number of donors hits a 20-year low.

Dan Aykroyd in a still from the 1983 film “Trading Places.”

With news of war and natural disasters flooding our screens, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—or worse, helpless—in the short, cold days following the holiday season. Well, here’s one way to help: Donate blood. According to the Red Cross, the U.S. is facing an emergency blood shortage as it experiences the lowest number of donors in two decades.

“Over the last 20 years, the number of people donating blood through the Red Cross has fallen by about 40%,” the American Red Cross said in a Jan. 7 press release. “When fewer people donate blood, even small disruptions to blood donations—such as the nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations the Red Cross experienced between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone—can have a huge impact on the availability of blood products and dramatic consequences for those in need of emergency blood transfusion.”

This is not your average blood drive. It’s a matter of life and death for thousands, especia…