Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program hosts ‘Pints for Preemies’ blood donation

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program is hosting its ‘Pints for Preemies’ blood donation challenge to help raise awareness of World Prematurity Day on Nov. 17.

According to the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center, each year around 15 million babies around the world are born preterm, many of them requiring lifesaving blood transfusions.

Mayo physicians say they are in need of all blood types, especially around the holiday season, as many regular donors are traveling.

“Our smallest patients are premature babies. Often times when they are born, don’t have sufficient amounts of blood in order to make it through those first few days of life, and so blood donation becomes a critical way we can support them during that time, as they are still growing and developing until they can take over their own blood production on their own,” Mayo Clinic blood donor program associate medical director Justin Juskewitch said.

As an added incentive to donate blood, all donors from November 9-23, 2022, will be entered into a drawing to win a private dining experience at a local restaurant.

Anyone 16 years and older can donate for the promotion.

There are two donation sites:

Mayo Clinic

Hilton Building, First Floor

210 2nd St. SW

Rochester, MN 55902

or

Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus

Joseph Building, Main Floor, Room M-86

1216 Second St. SW

Rochester, MN 55902

The Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center will be closed on November 24 and will be open until 2 p.m. on November 25.

Donors should fill out the raffle ballot at check-in on the day of donation to enter to win.

The winner will be announced Nov. 28, 2022.

If you are interested in donating, you can call the Donor Center at 507-284-4475.

The goal of this challenge is to save lives through blood donation and to build community relationships and awareness about the life-changing impact local blood donors can have. Throughout each Pints for Preemies campaign the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program highlights a local child in need of blood products at birth.

This year’s story comes from baby Elliott who was born with a heart defect which required open-heart surgery as soon as possible. During the surgery, Elliott required a blood transfusion, and for this reason, his family is extremely grateful for local blood donors.

“One of the reasons he’s here is because blood donors are able to provide lifesaving blood products to the most fragile of patients needing it,” Elliott’s mother said. “Being Elliott’s mom I feel so blessed to have these blood products available to my son, and I also work in the Saint Mary’s NICU and see so many other tiny humans benefiting from blood transfusions every time I work.”

To learn more about the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program, click here.

Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved.