Dear Friends,

Let’s talk blood.

I think we can all agree that blood is necessary and vital for survival. We can’t exist without blood. It’s what makes our bodies work and without it, we wouldn’t be, well … alive.

You know who else needs blood to survive? Vampires.

Regardless of what story, legend, myth or movie you watch it’s the same basic premise. Vampires need blood to survive. It’s where they draw their energy from and their diet is basically one food group. Now they can take the “vegetarian” route and stick to animals, but that is much harder and doesn’t quite curb the taste for the real thing.

If you do a little online research, there is a debate about why a vampire drinks blood and how it actually keeps them alive. There’s even a deeper disagreement as to whether or not their heart beats – ever so slowly, which is why a stake through the heart is really the best method of killing them.

Sometimes I wonder if someone looked in my Google search history if they would be confused and a little scared. So no, I am not some vampire hunter or expert, but in addition to my research for this week’s column, I have watched many movies and shows on this topic, so I feel pretty well educated on the subject.

I was down with the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Like many I fell in love with the tortured Brad Pitt and disliked Tom Cruise in “Interview with a Vampire”. “The Lost Boys” is a classic and made the whole transition to vampire-life more satanic and ritualistic than other stories.

You’ve got your more modern movies like “Underworld”, which introduces us to the Vampire vs. Warewolf feud, then there’s “Blade” and the lighter view in “Hotel Transylvania”. Who could forget the world-wide phenomenon of the “Twilight” series which put a whole new spin on the world of vampires, and started the “Edward or Jacob” debate. Team Edward all the way, but that isn’t important right now.

The fascination with vampires, mystical creatures and lore never seems to get old. I found myself recently obsessed with a new show, thanks to my friend Danielle. She couldn’t believe I never watched this show and now having binge watched an entire season in about a week, I can’t either.

“Vampire Diaries” ran from 2009-2017, and thanks to Netflix I am now flying my way through the show. My husband has been subjected to this, and his main concern with this show (besides the fact that it’s a little too lovey-dovey for him) is the premise that the vampires can eat human food in addition to the blood genre of their choice. Inaccurate, he likes to tell me. Like he would know!

At the end of the day, no matter the story, movie, book, or legend that you read about there is one main fact and that is vampires cannot exist without blood. It’s something we have in common because humans can’t exist without it either.

Did you know that every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets and that each year 6.8 million people in the Unites States donates blood? The American Red Cross provides 40% of the nation’s blood supply and all from volunteer donors. Did you also know (according to the American Red Cross) only about 3% of all eligible blood donors actually gives blood annually?

When was the last time you gave blood or checked to see if you were eligible to give blood? The American Red Cross holds blood drives all the time and it’s super easy to find a place to give close to home. No matter where you live, where you are reading this from, there are many opportunities for you to give close to work or home.

I wanted to see how many blood donation sites there are in Chenango County, so I went to the American Red Cross website and searched for locations near my office. In the month of December alone, there are five different blood drives happening throughout Chenango County! That’s five chances to give the gift of life to someone in need.

Because I am a “walk the walk” kind of gal, I signed up for a blood drive coming up in early December at the Guernsey Memorial Library in Norwich. There were lots of appointments sill available to please take a few minutes to check it out and consider giving a different kind of gift this holiday season.

The American Red Cross just launched the 13th Annual Southern Tier Real Heroes nominations. They’re currently seeking nominations of everyday people who have exhibited extraordinary courage or have made a meaningful impact in your community in 2021. There are so many everyday people who go above and beyond and not for recognition. They do it because they have a calling, want to help or are looking to find ways to give back to their community.

There are lots of categories of heroes to choose from. Not the leaping tall buildings, magical hammer, flying kind. Real, everyday heroes like: Animal Rescue, Blood Donor, Education, Fire Rescue, Good Neighbor, Good Samaritan (both adult and child), Law Enforcement, Lifeline, Medical, Military and Workplace Safety.

Nominations are due January 31, 2022 and to nominate someone, go to: www.redcross.org/SouthernTierRealHeroes. Winners will be honored at the Southern Tier Real Heroes Breakfast in 2022.

So, what are going to do? Be stingy with your blood and fall victim to a vampire, or donate it and maybe help save a life? In fact, according to the American Red Cross, every donation saves up to three lives.

Seems like an easy choice to me.

Be well,

~ Kerri