Give Life,Give Blood!

Give life, give blood!

Imagine your mom, dad, son, and or, daughter in a tragic car accident, or diagnosed with cancer. The only chance of survival is a blood transfusion, because your blood type is not a match. We all expect that blood will be there for us or a loved one; however, hardly a fraction of people that can give blood actually do. At some point of our lives we may face a time of susceptibility where we will need blood. The day-to-day need for blood never ends. Statistics show that approximately 5% of Americans donate blood; however, the majority of us will need blood or blood products at some point in our lives. There are various reasons to donate blood such as: Every three seconds someone needs a blood transfusion, one pint of blood can save up to three lives, and donating blood can benefit the donors self concept as well.

Every two to three seconds in the United States, someone needs a blood transfusion, 95% of all American will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives. Whether it is used to help an accident victim, an organ donor recipient or a patient with cancer, more than 38,000 blood donations are needed in hospitals every day around the country. Every single pint of blood that is donated contributes towards preserving someone's life. Blood centers often run short of types O and B blood. If everyone that is qualified to donate gave two to three times a year, blood shortage would be eliminated. Being a regular blood donor will ensure that a safe and plentiful supply of blood is available wherever and whenever it's needed. Blood is without a doubt something special, it can not be manufactured nor can it be replaced by animal blood. Each year 4.5 million American lives are saved by blood transfusions.

One pint of blood can be separated into several components, which can be used to treat three to four different patients. Red Blood Cells have a shelf life of 35 days and are used primarily for surgery and trauma patients. Plasma can be frozen and stored for one year, which is mainly used in treating shock and burn victims. Platelets are good for only five days and are primarily used to treat cancer and leukemia patients. 50-60 out of 100 Americans are eligible to give blood - but only approximately three to four people actually donate. Blood has four major jobs: it distributes nutrients to the body cells so that they can create energy, it carries oxygen to the body cells, it removes waste products from the body cells, and it carries special blood cells and chemicals, which defend the body against infections and injuries.

Donating blood does not only benefit the recipients. Despite who you are, donating blood offers many benefit to each donors. People donate blood out of a sense of duty and community spirit, to develop a sense of commitment and connection with fellow Kiwis, and be assured that adequate supplies of blood are available for you or a loved one. I have been giving blood, for several years from time to time; this is a way to help society that costs nothing. Lives are being touched every