It is officially the season of giving, and there is no better way to help others than donating blood sometime this holiday season.
Here are a few facts about blood donations in the U.S, (from givingblood.com, cedars-sinai.org, and redcrossblood.org).
- It is estimated that 6.8 million people in the United States (only 2.1% of the population) donate blood each year.
- Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion.
- One donation (a single pint) can potentially save up to three lives.
- A single car accident victim can require transfusions adding up to as many as 100 pints of blood.
- More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- About one in seven people entering a hospital need a blood transfusion.
- The United States is currently in a blood shortage, especially for types O and B red blood cells.
- There is no substitution for human blood. So if people like you don’t donate, there won’t be any.
If you have never donated before or just haven’t in a while, now is the time to go. Your donation could make the difference in someone’s life. It’s okay to be scared. Take someone with you if it’s your first time, and then see for yourself how it’s probably not as bad as you worried it would be. If you’re unsure if you’re even eligible to donate, the best way to find out is to go and try. It isn’t uncommon for donors to be turned away for various things like low iron, a fast heart rate or high body temperature. But if you are turned down, that doesn’t mean you should give up.
One hour of your time could save someone else’s life.
For more information on donating and blood drives near you, visit www.redcross.org