The American Red Cross has been sending out a clarion call for more blood.
Blood donations are typically down in the summer months, this summer especially, probably because prospective donors and repeat donors are on vacation, according to American Red Cross officials.
In the past three months, blood donations are 39,000 fewer statewide than usual.
In the United States, someone needs blood every two seconds, and 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day, not to mention 7,090 units of platelets and 10,100 units of plasma, also every day. Those three blood components are derived from donations of blood and are used in various transfusions for different needs. The average red-blood-cell transfusion to patient is three pints. Some patients need only one transfusion. Others, however, require regular transfusions throughout their lives, such as people who were born with sickle cell anemia. A single serious injury, say, from a car accident, can require as many as 100 pints of transfused blood during the victim’s recovery process.
Some people think all donated blood can be stored indefinitely – not so. The red-blood-cell components of blood, for example, can be stored for only 42 days after the donation, at which time they are not able to be used. Plasma and platelets can be frozen but only up to one year’s time. Thus, the constant need for ongoing blood donations.
It’s not hard to see why ongoing blood donations are so important and why a decrease in donations over time is such a serious concern.
According to the American Red Cross, about 6.8 million people, men and women equally, donate blood at least once a year in the United States. About 50 percent of them are repeat donors, donating several or more times each year. About 26 percent are first-time donors and 24 percent are occasional donors.
Most people who donate blood say they do it because they have a strong feeling of obligation to help somebody else – always a good idea to do anything. Those who don’t ever donate say they have phobias about needles or just never think to donate. Still others say they are afraid they will catch a disease from needles.
Fear of needles is understandable, to some degree. But, in fact, most people have been given shots or have had blood drawn many times in their lives, and a needle poke or two certainly didn’t harm them. In the blood-donation procedure, new and sterile needles are used in each case and then discarded. Used needles are never re-used on donors. As for “never thinking about donating,” maybe it’s time more of us do think about it, and then act upon that awareness.
It’s not hard to imagine one day, sooner or later, a loved one will need transfusions of blood. Think how grateful you and they will feel that there is enough blood supply to match their critical, life-saving needs.
There are periodic blood-transfusion sessions that take place in places throughout the greater St. Cloud area. Donations can also be given every week – almost every day – at the St. Cloud Area Blood Donation Center at 1301 W. St. Germain St. in St. Cloud.
For more information or to find out when and where to donate, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcrossblood.org.
