Granite State blood donor wins Red Cross giveaway

By Dan Dowling, regional communications manager 

Every blood donor has a story. For Jennifer Tripp of New Hampshire, that story started with fear of blood, but led to a lifelong commitment to saving lives. 

This April, that commitment paid off in a surprising way. Jennifer was one of three lucky nationwide winners to receive a $5,000 gift card from the Red Cross. It was part of the April giveaway. Anyone who came in to donate blood or platelets during the month was automatically entered for a chance to win. 

Jennifer says that while the prize is exciting, it’s the impact of blood donation that truly drives her commitment. 

“When I was in high school, my anatomy and physiology class volunteered for a blood drive. I was so scared that I remembered talking to my teacher ahead of time, asking if I could be assigned a job far away from the blood. They put me in the canteen, handing out snacks, but my friends in the class would walk by with bags of blood to try to freak me out,” she recalls.  Years later, her fear lessened but still kept her from donating. It wasn’t until she watched her husband give blood that she found the courage to try.  “My husband has O-negative blood, the universal donor, and he donates every few months. I went with him a few times to try to get over my fear of donating. We even took our two children to watch my husband donate blood because they also have O-negative blood, and we hope they will donate when they are older.” 

Type O is the blood type most often requested by hospitals. Type O negative red cells can be given to patients of all blood types. Because only 7% of people in the U.S. are type O negative, it’s always in great demand and often in short supply. 

Jennifer’s commitment grew deeper when she heard the stories of two friends whose lives were impacted firsthand by blood donors. 

“My friend from college almost died in childbirth and was saved by blood transfusions. My friend from high school has a daughter with a rare blood disorder who had 82 blood transfusions before the age of 10. I’ve been donating blood for nine years now, and every time I do, I think of them,” she says. 

Thank you to Jennifer and all our donors who continue to help keep hospital shelves stocked with life-saving blood and platelets as we head into the busy summer season. 

Schedule a time to give now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App. Those who come to give June 1-30, 2025, will get a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email and will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $7,000 gift cards. Terms apply. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/June.