According to The American Red Cross, 60 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but only 5 percent do so. This means the entire blood supply falls on roughly 3 percent of the population.
Donated blood is used for surgeries, cancer patients, accident victims, bone marrow recipients, organ transplants, burn patients, premature babies and sick children every minute of every single day. People born with genetic blood disorders may require as much as a pint of blood every three weeks for their entire lives.
How many thousands of operating and emergency rooms use countless pints of blood every week? Add to that all the clinics, hospitals, and in and outpatient surgical centers in every city in the country and we can begin to get a sense of the enormous need.
Where does our blood come from?
Every drop of blood in America's supply comes from volunteer blood donors. Unfortunately, the bulk of our blood supply often falls on those who work in healthcare-related fields. These professionals understand the urgency and may have more convenient access to donor centers, but why should it fall completely on them? They’re already fighting on the front lines for our health; should they be responsible for the blood supply as well?
The American Red Cross and the American Associations of Blood Banks have stringent guidelines for donors, which is necessary. However, anyone who is fortunate enough to be a potential donor, should definitely consider it.
Many people are squeamish around needles or the sight of blood and fear they will faint or panic if they try to donate. Consider, however, that it was your child, brother or mother on the operating table ... could you summon the courage to give it a try? Courage comes from the French word for heart. Imagine how freeing it will be to confront that fear and conquer it.
Cold, flu and allergy season wreak havoc on the blood supply. To exacerbate matters, cold and flu season is simultaneous with the holidays, when the demand for blood is at its highest.
Disease Cannot be Contracted from Donating
The materials used are one-time-use/disposable; it is impossible for you to contract anything from the donation process.
The questions can be a little probing, but it is necessary for the overall safety of the blood supply. And just because the answer to a question is yes, it does not preclude you from being a donor – they just need more detailed information.
Don’t listen to rumors...having a body piercing or tattoo does not prohibit someone from being a donor, especially if proper sanitary laws were adhered to and the tattoo was not within the last year.
Everyone is entitled to his or her privacy, and donor centers will go to great lengths to protect that of their potential donors. The only things that definitely prohibit a person from donating are having HIV or engaging in high-risk HIV behavior, and a history of hepatitis or malaria. A history of cancer or blood disorders will need to be evaluated.
International travel will need to be clarified and carefully examined. Someone who has recently worked at a hospital in Haiti, may be turned away. For those who have done relief work in Africa, but followed Universal Precautions, a wait of a year or more may be recommended.
The Basic Donor Requirements
The basic requirements are only that donors be at least 17 years of age and weigh 110 pounds. An annual doctor's note is required for donors over 76. Donors must be in good general health and free from infections or illness. Heart rate, blood pressure and iron levels must be within safety ranges.
Benefits include: a lifelong knowledge of one's blood type, which can be lifesaving; an understanding of how each type is most needed (whole blood, plasma, white or red specific blood cells, for instance), and how each type can best help leukemia, cancer victims, those with immune deficiencies or the terminally ill. Other perks are frequent giveaways and snacks and the knowledge that a gift was given for which there is no substitute.
Blood Banks and the Red Cross go to great lengths to make donating as convenient as possible. The entire process shouldn’t take more than an hour. Don’t wait for a blood drive; go to GiveLife.org or call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or 1-800-TRYGIVING to find a donor center near you. Now is the time to make a difference.
