The American Red Cross website states, “You don’t need a special reason to give blood. You just need your own reason.” People give blood for a number of different reasons. Whether you give blood because a friend or loved one asks you to, or because you think that a family member will need the blood someday, or just because you think it’s the right thing to do–giving blood is highly crucial. Unbeknownst to many, donating one pint of blood you can save up to three lives. This is important because human blood is one of the few things in this generation that cannot be substituted or manufactured and it is critically needed.
Every two seconds, a patient in the United States is in need of blood. This equates to thirty people every minute and eighteen hundred people an hour. The numbers are at a new high with over 4.5 million people who need blood transfusions each year in the United States and Canada. Furthermore, this number increases by 9% each year. Even with these drastic and climbing numbers, only 3% of the United States population donates blood. It all boils down to one immensely important fact: blood saves lives and without it, people die. Think of it this way: a single car accident victim can need up to one hundred pints of blood to become stable and if each donor donated one pint of blood, one hundred donors would be needed to save that one person’s life.
To many medical health professionals, these numbers are terrifying. How is it that we are able to do these transfusions when so much blood is needed and used daily, one may ask? Blood drives and the generous people who donate their time and their blood to help others. Repeat donors are the ones that donate blood up to three times in one year. These donors make a sizeable dent in the need for blood, but it is essential to keep in mind that all donors make a difference.
In addition to the obvious such as its aid in the betterment of society, there are a couple of benefits that donating blood gives. Upon registration, you will undergo a mini physical exam that monitors your blood pressure, pulse, body temperature and hemoglobin. This exam is free and can give you some insight on your health and your daily habits. Another benefit would be walking away knowing you made a difference and that you saved a life. Lastly, free food after you have made your donation. Please consider giving blood today, to save a life tomorrow.