The American Red Cross has been collecting blood from donors since the 1940s. Blood donations are consistently needed throughout the world, not only in times of disaster. 38,000 blood donations are needed daily to fulfill the needs of hospitals around the United States. A person is in need of blood every two seconds across the country, and the demand for blood transfusions are growing faster than donations. Cancer is a major cause of the need for blood donations. Annually more than 1 million people are diagnosed with cancer, in addition to those already battling it. Many of these patients need blood, sometimes daily, when going through Chemotherapy. Other conditions, such as Sickle cell disease, which affects more than 80,000 people in our country, also demand frequent blood transfusions for its patients. It is essential that these patients get blood donations, in order to survive.