Blood saves lives — after accidents, during operations and in treating serious illnesses such as cancer. According to the German Red Cross (DRK), up to 15,000 donations are needed every day in Germany. To meet emergencies, stocks should cover at least four days, but shortages occur repeatedly.
By mid-January, supplies had fallen to about a day and a half. Reasons included the Christmas and New Year holidays, severe winter weather that kept donors at home, and the usual wave of seasonal illnesses such as flu that left many people unable or ineligible to give blood.
The DRK’s appeal prompted me to act. My last donation had been in 1994 — 32 years ago — and I had wondered whether I might be too old. That age limit has since been lifted. Dr. Sieglinde Ristau at the German Red Cross blood donation center in Berlin’s Alexa shopping center explains that older people today are often much healthier than before, so they can still donate. She stresses that donating is safe for healthy people and can even have positive effects on blood pressure and heart health. For many, there’s also the simple satisfaction of helping others.
Ristau also worries about the lack of young donors. With low birth rates since 1990, a shortage of younger donors could become a long-term problem. “That’s why we’re happy to have older people, who are often the most loyal donors,” she says.
At the donation center, staff welcomed me, and Nurse Christina inserted a needle into a vein in my right arm. The prick was barely noticeable and about half a liter of blood was collected in a few minutes. I was offered a multivitamin drink and asked to lie down briefly; the donation temporarily reduced my total blood volume by roughly a tenth. New blood forms quickly over the following days, so the loss is monitored and replaced.
As a small thank-you, I received a €10 voucher to spend in the shopping center. I asked Kerstin Schweiger, press spokeswoman for the DRK Blood Donation Service North-East, about the shortages. She said the situation was critical in mid-January but has improved after the appeal. Still, supplies must be checked daily because blood products have short shelf lives: some can be used for up to six weeks, while others expire much sooner.
Donated blood is separated into components — erythrocytes, thrombocytes and plasma — commonly known as red blood cells, platelets and plasma. While red blood cells can be stored for around 42 days, platelets, which are urgently needed for cancer treatment, remain usable for only about four days. That short shelf life makes maintaining steady donation rates especially important.
Even though the immediate shortage eased, another could arise quickly. Much of Germany is still in a harsh winter, keeping many people unwell, and school winter holidays in Berlin and neighboring Brandenburg begin in early February, when regular donors often go on vacation. Those factors make the coming weeks critical for blood donation services.
This article was originally written in German.