Anyone, who is healthy and 17 or older, can participate by donating blood at any Oklahoma Blood Institute donor center or community blood drive. Donations take about an hour and can be made every 56 days. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, can cause a drop in platelets, causing the patient to bleed excessively. This is treated through blood or platelet transfusions.

"Those battling cancer often need blood as a result of surgery or chemotherapy treatment," said John Armitage, president and CEO for Oklahoma Blood Institute. "Thanks to this unique partnership with American Cancer Society, OBI donors can 'doubly give' first, by giving life-saving blood, and then by supporting efforts that will help further important programs and research to more effectively prevent, detect and treat cancers."

And like the blood donated with Oklahoma Blood Institute, the money raised for the American Cancer Society will be used in Oklahoma.

"These funds will be used for things like support groups, camps for children battling cancer, wigs for chemotherapy patients and programs that help pay for lodging and mileage for those who have to travel to receive treatment," said Sara E. Smith, director of communications, American Cancer Society, Oklahoma Affiliate.

About Oklahoma

Blood Institute

Oklahoma Blood Institute is the twelfth largest, non-profit blood center in America, providing every drop of blood needed by patients in 150 medical facilities across Oklahoma.

For more information or to make an appointment to donate blood in August, call Oklahoma Blood Institute at 877-340-8777 or visit www.obi.org.

About American

Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, it fights for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. It save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing nearly $3.4 billion, the American Cancer Society turns what it knows about cancer into what it does. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year.

To learn more about the American Cancer Society or to get help, call any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.