Unless you are a meticulous list maker, you never think about things you need until you actually need them. You never remember you needed more eggs or flour until you get ready to bake something. You remember you needed toothpaste when you go to brush your teeth. You don’t remember you needed more gas for the lawn mower until you run out, half way through mowing the yard.
Like blood. Donating blood is one of those things many don’t think twice about until you or a loved one are in the hospital needing this life-saving staple, unless you are someone who donates on a regular basis.
Forrest Health transfuses an averages of 600 to 800 units of blood each month. For a year, that’s about 9,600 units.
Did you know?
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and or platelets. Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6,500 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S. Nearly 16 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately three units. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood. The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O. One donation can help save more than one life. Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. While it is more prevalent in the African American population, it also affects Hispanics and Latinos and those of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, or Mediterranean descent. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year, and sickle cell patients can require blood transfusions throughout their lives.
So, why should you donate?
If every two seconds there is a need for blood, that’s a lot of blood. And there is no substitute for blood when it is needed. It is only manufactured by the human body, and it is only made available to those who need it by people who donate it.
Up to 350 pints of donated blood are needed each and every day to ensure a stable community blood supply. That means the community plays a vital role in keeping shelves stocked with donations in order to aid those in their community who might need it. Once ‘banked,’ your blood becomes a lifesaving ingredient for someone in your community.
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