The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage and urgently needs blood and platelet donors to give now to avoid delays in lifesaving medical care for patients.

Volunteer blood drive hosts also are critically needed to prevent the shortage from worsening this winter.

During September and October, the Red Cross collected more than 21,000 fewer blood and platelet donations than what hospitals needed because of fewer blood drives.

"From traumas to ongoing cancer treatments, the need for blood doesn’t stop for the holidays. People can give back — and help those in need — by making a lifesaving blood or platelet donation now and hosting a blood drive in the weeks to come,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president for Red Cross Biomedical Services.

An additional 4,300 blood drives nationally — and approximately 70 blood drives in this area — are needed in December, January and February to help stop the shortage from continuing throughout winter.

Donations often decline during the winter holidays when many groups postpone blood drives while regular donors are busy with holiday activities and travel. Severe winter weather also may cause blood drive cancellations.

Blood donations help people such as 11-year-old Kylee Durham, who had a rare type of vascular tumor in her right jawbone.

When the tumor ruptured in August, the hemorrhage caused Kylee to lose so much blood she needed two units before an emergency embolization surgery to stop the bleeding.

She required additional transfusions during surgery and received a total of eight units of blood, or about the total blood volume of an average adult, over a 12-hour period.

The surgery was successful, and Kylee had a partial resection of her jaw a couple of days after the embolization to remove the tumor.

Now a few months post-surgery, Kylee is back at home enjoying middle school and spending time doing the things she loves.

“If it weren’t for blood donors, my daughter would not be alive," said Durham’s mother, Brittany Durham. “My dad has been a blood donor for years, and my whole family now are blood donors in honor of Kylee. I encourage people on a daily basis to go out and donate blood.”

Upcoming local blood donation opportunities are:

• 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday: Jennings County High School, 800 W. Walnut St., North Vernon
• 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday: First United Methodist Church, 240 Poplar St., North Vernon
• Noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 7: The Peoples Bank, 100 N. Main St., Brownstown
• Noon to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 13: First Baptist Church, 505 Community Drive, Seymour

To encourage donations around Thanksgiving, those who come to donate blood or platelets with the Red Cross Wednesday through Nov. 24 will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt.

Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).