Did you ever stop to think why is it so important to donate blood? We are going to help you understand this question and go through two important stories along the way. There are 8 blood groups and it is important to know which one you are.
There is one universal donor, which is the O-, that can donate blood to everyone, but it just receives from another O-. The other exception is the AB+, which can receive any blood. Basically, all types of blood can donate for their equals and for the AB+, and receive from equals and O-.
It is essential to have your blood type in your ID’s or other documents, because you never know when you’ll need a transfusion and it’s important for the doctors to know it so they can choose a compatible type for you.
Júlia Tenório de Carvalho (22) is an English teacher and had a brain surgery with complications. Luckily her doctor anticipated the complication, so she and her family had time to save blood for an emergency. Even before her incident, she was in favor of blood and organ donation, but after the surgery she became a non-eligible donor.
Júlia made an important reflection for those who don’t donate blood or are against it: “Solidarity is something that should run in all human being’s veins and arteries. The donation of a few drops and minutes of my parents saved my life, you can be the missing drop of blood in someone else’s life.”
Vitória Raquel Celeste (23) is director and founder of Soft Nerd. She also needed blood donation after a terrible accident. “The importance of donation is huge, it saves lives and I’m a living proof”, she told. She was always in favor of donations but after the accident, her perspective changed: “During pandemic a bag of blood can save up to 4 lives. A person with Covid-19 needs blood donation and our blood banks are in a critical state. Donating blood is the most human gesture of all”.
With the pandemic people have been scared of contamination and most of the usual donors stopped donating blood. Brazil is passing through the worst time in blood banks. Some private hospitals and the government are making campaigns, but the supplies are only decreasing. It is important to keep in mind that everyone between 16 and 69 years old, who does not have infectious diseases and weighs more than 50 kilos may be eligible to donate blood.
A last piece of advice from Vitória for those who are in doubt about donating blood is that “Your time is too precious. Donating a little bit of blood and time can save lives”. She added that donating blood makes you feel a unique sensation of human being.
————————————————————-
The article above was edited by Nicole Leslie.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus Casper Libero‘s home page for more!