ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of people lined up outside OneBlood blood bank Sunday to donate in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting that left 53 people wounded and the facility in dire need of blood.
Inside, one person was missing, and Tuesday OneBlood announced that among the 49 people killed in shooting was employee Rodolfo Ayala Ayala.
Ayala started working for OneBlood in December of 2011 as a biologics assistant but had since been promoted to team leader and platelet supervisor, the company said.
Raw: Hundreds line up at Orlando blood bank after mass shooting
Working out of the Orlando laboratory, Ayala “was a highly respected member of the OneBlood family,” the company said in a release. “He was passionate about saving lives and took great pride in the lifesaving work he performed.”
“He was a caring and friendly person and will be greatly missed by everyone who had the honor of knowing him.”
Donating blood:
The blood bank met its immediate needs the day of the shooting, but said it will still need blood donations in the coming days.
In light of the tremendous response, OneBlood is urging people who want to donate blood to please make an appointment. People who would like to donate are urged to call 1-888-9-Donate or visit OneBlood.org to make an appointment.
The blood center team is working diligently to test and process the thousands of units of blood that have been donated.
Tuesday is also World Blood Donor Day
There was an urgent need for O negative, O positive and AB plasma, said Pat Michaels, a spokesman for OneBlood said.
Donors should be generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds, Michaels said.
Historically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't allowed men who've had sex with other men to donate blood, but the ban was recently changed.
The FDA now allows men who've had sex with other men to donate blood if they've been celibate for the past year.
But despite the FDA's recently loosened restrictions, OneBlood isn't yet able to accept blood donations from men who've had sex with other men, Michaels said.
To find the nearest donation center or Big Red Bus, prospective donors can visit www.oneblood.org or call 1-888-936-6283.
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