It is an unsettling time for patients who depend on weekly blood transfusions as the supply remains dangerously low.

They say while emergency patients are the obvious recipients for donations, hospitals additionally need sufficient donor blood to perform surgery and treat serious medical conditions, including some forms of cancer.

"Patients who are particularly vulnerable with leukemia, immunologic malignancies are already anemic, and they're going through very aggressive therapies and need transfusion support frequently," says Dr. Barry Boyd, an oncologist at Greenwich Hospital.

Boyd is reminding people that donating blood is more than just giving blood cells and plasma.

"Imagine a terrible, traumatic accident and someone's bleeding. They come into the emergency room…and that blood is crucial to save their life acutely. To give is to truly give to others. It's really a wonderful gift," says Boyd.

Click here to find a convenient blood drive.