Casagrande Hosting Blood Drive Thursday

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande will be hosting a blood drive in front of her district office on Thursday.

Casagrande said donating blood is one way people can help those battling the disease which is why this is the fifth year she will be hosting the event. “The Central Jersey Blood Center serves area hospitals as they treat premature babies, trauma victims and cancer patients,” she said of the organization conducting the blood drive.

With more than one million people diagnosed with cancer each year Casagrande said there is a constant need for blood donors. The patients need transfusions, sometimes daily as part for their chemotherapy treatments. “Cancer patients are the primary recipients of blood transfusions,” she said. “In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, consider a donation in the name of a loved one fighting that disease.”

The need for blood donors is a personal cause for Casagrande. “When my husband had a near fatal car accident in February of 2008, he needed over 20 pints of blood to save his life,” she said. “Since then I have always tried to make sure we do our part to replenish the blood supply.”

The Central Jersey Blood Center bus will be at 35 West Main Street from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday to allow as many people as possible to make donations.