LUCKY BLOOD DONOR WINS ROUND TRIP TICKETS IN DELTA’S SAVE A LIFE AND SEE THE WORLD GIVEAWAY

(Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005) ATLANTA – Thanks to Delta Air Lines and the American Red Cross, Tommy Bowen and his wife are making plans to see a part of the world they’ve never seen before. Bowen rolled up his sleeve and made a lifesaving donation of red blood cells during a work blood drive in August, making him eligible to win a pair of round trip tickets in Delta’s Save A Life and See the World giveaway which ran from August 1-31.

Bowen, a unit manager living in Cochran, GA, recently received the good news that he was the lucky winner. Now, he and his wife are planning a trip to “somewhere we’ll never get another chance to go.” Bowen, who has donated blood several times in the past, thinks it a “miracle” that his name was pulled from among all the entries because “I’ve never won anything in my life!”

Every day, in Georgia and across the United States, blood is needed by patients whose lives depend on transfusions. Despite all the advances in medicine and science, there still is no substitute for human blood. The only source of blood for patients who need lifesaving transfusions is volunteer donors like Bowen. His double red cell donation makes him a lifesaver and includes him among the approximately 5 percent of Americans who are blood donors.

Because the Red Cross distributes blood to 140 hospitals in Georgia and that blood is used to save lives everyday, at least 1,200 donations are needed each weekday to replenish regional supplies and ensure that the continuing need for blood is met. Delta has been a faithful and supportive partner of the American Red Cross, helping to encourage blood donations during the summer when they are urgently needed.

Anyone who came to give blood or platelets in August was eligible to enter the drawing for the tickets. From now until September 17, Delta is also offering four domestic round-trip tickets to a lucky blood or platelet donor to fly family members home for the holidays. Blood or platelet donations can be made at any of the seven donor centers in metro Atlanta.

Because blood cells replace themselves, people can safely donate blood every 56 days and platelets every two weeks, up to 24 times each year. For more information and to make a donation appointment, please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or visit www.givebloodredcross.org.

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