Young people aren’t donating blood. Step up and save Kansas City lives | Opinion

The last weeks of summer often mean family cookouts, fun vacations and late nights hanging out with friends before school starts. I learned recently that it’s also one of the most critical times for Kansas City’s blood supply. Donations drop at a time when the need is high. Lately, that problem has been getting worse.

I’m 18. I attended St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City and have just begun my freshman year at the University of Denver. I donated blood for the first time when I turned 16, and continued to donate several more times, earning “Gallon Grad” status before graduation. The decision to start donating blood was easy as I’ve grown up watching my parents and older brother donate blood regularly and volunteer with Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City. Now, it’s something I can’t imagine not doing.

Throughout my time donating and volunteering with the Community Blood Center, I’ve met people with different reasons for becoming blood donors or advocates. Many were inspired after a loved one survived an accident, a surgery or cancer treatment thanks to blood transfusions. I’ve been lucky not to need blood myself, but I was surprised to learn how many of my own friends and neighbors have needed blood at some point, from childbirth to routine surgeries. What I’ve realized is that most people don’t understand how critical blood donation is until it saves someone they love.

Here’s the problem: Young donors like me aren’t showing up the way we used to. Across the country, donations from people under 25 have dropped by more than a third in the past two decades. That’s scary, because the future of the blood supply depends on new donors stepping up. If our generation doesn’t build this habit, the system that saves lives every single day is at risk.

So as students start another school year, here’s what I want my generation to remember: We are the future of the blood supply. We’re the ones who will determine whether hospitals have the blood they need when someone’s life is on the line. A car crash victim. A kid with cancer. A mom after childbirth. In those moments, it could all come down to whether someone our age decided to roll up a sleeve.

Donating blood isn’t hard. You eat, hydrate, show up — and less than an hour later you leave with a cookie and the knowledge that you may have just saved someone’s life. One donation can help up to three people. That’s three real families who get to keep their loved one because you cared enough to give.

Right now, Community Blood Center is facing an emergency shortage after a summer of low turnout, and it will take all of us to fix it. If you’re eligible, make donating a part of your high school or college experience. If you can’t donate, volunteer at a drive, encourage your friends or help organize one at your school. The center even offers recognition such as the “Gallon Grad” award and scholarships for students who get involved — because when young people give back, it changes everything.

I may be in Colorado this fall, but Kansas City will always be home. And my hope is that more students will step up — not just here, but everywhere — because our communities depend on it. The future of the blood supply, and the future of patients whose lives depend on blood donors, is in our hands.

To find a place to donate or get involved, visit savealifenow.org

Sophie Trainor is an advocate for blood donations with the Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City and a recent graduate from St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City.