With regular blood donors going on holiday, people are being urged to donate blood this festive season as demand stays high and stocks become dangerously low.

The Red Cross is running the Blood Blitz campaign with the aim of maintaining its stocks over Christmas and New Year’s.

Nine-year-old Gabrielle Waddington suffers from diamond black-fan anemia – a rare bone marrow disease – and needs a life-saving blood transfusion once a month.

“Gabrielle has been transfusion dependant since birth,” her mother Andrea Carolan said.

“Until a cure can be found, she’s going to need it forever.”

Gabrielle is just one of hundreds of patients including road trauma victims and cancer patients who will need blood over the festive season, but donations are drying up.

“Even though the rest of us are taking a break, the need for blood doesn’t take a break,” said Emma Schreiber from the Red Cross Blood Service.

“It’s really no time at all and you would have saved three lives.”

Australia needs an extra 25,000 donations over the next two weeks, with more than 1000 of those from South Australia.

If you would like to donate blood, book an appointment at the Red Cross website or call 13 14 95.