To the editor:

The holidays are about memories — reliving old ones and making new ones.

Think back to your childhood. Can you recall receiving what you thought was the perfect gift? You may still have it, or it might be long gone. Although it is a happy memory, was it really the perfect gift?

Ask a cancer survivor or a trauma victim to describe the perfect gift, and many would tell you it does not come in a box. It is a lifesaving blood donation.

Blood is often needed for traumas, heart surgeries, joint-replacement surgeries, organ transplants, premature babies, leukemia, cancer treatments and much more. Since there is no substitute for human blood, these patients rely on volunteer blood donors like you to provide the blood products they need to survive.

When you donate blood, you give the perfect gift — another hug, another laugh, another smile, another chance — to someone in need of blood.

Think outside the box this holiday season. The perfect gift is at your nearest American Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center, and unlike the latest fashion trend, video game or golf club, the perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.

I take pride in the gifts I can extend at this time of year. This season, I shall give the gift of life — my blood — for the 104th time. Join me! Give the perfect gift, and help a family member, friend or someone you have never met to unwrap a lifetime of memories.

Gene Hansen

Board member

American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region