Some health experts say there's a life-threatening aspect to the government shutdown that you might not know about: a big drop in blood donations.
Inova Blood Donor Services said they will be down about 500 donors this month alone, because they normally have blood drives in federal government buildings, but those aren't happening.
WUSA9 met the families of two little girls on Wednesday, Audrey Bryan and Maddie Cabatic. They both are alive thanks to the blood of stranger.
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"She actually had a rare immune disorder called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. It's terrifying. You look on google and you don't find a lot of happy stories out there," said Jennifer Bryan, Audrey's mom.
Maddie Cabatic was four years old when doctors found a cancerous tumor on her right kidney. Both girls benefited from life-saving blood transfusions and platelets.
Next week, Inova Blood Services was supposed to have a blood drive at the State Department, but with the government shutdown, that is no longer happening.
Hundreds of blood donations that may go to children like Maddie and Audrey will not happen unless people step up. Maddie's latest scan shows no cancer. A gift that all started with the gift of blood.
Inova Blood Services has three donor centers in Annandale, Centreville, and Sterling, Va.
You can call 1-866-BLOODSAVES or visit www.inovablood.org and click on the Donate Blood Drop Down for more information.