How To Save a Life
Yes, we know the popular song by The Fray just popped into your head; but if you really want to know how to save a life, get to a local American Red Cross location and donate blood. September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month and over 80,000 people in the United States alone suffer from Sickle Cell Disease. People who have Sickle cell often require frequent transfusions during the course of their
lifetime. And it`s not just Sickle Cell Disease that requires blood transfusions; more than 1 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many will need blood, some as often as every day during chemotherapy treatments. Here are some facts, courtesy of the American Red Cross, to encourage you to help your fellow humankind:
- Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
- More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
- The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
- The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs.
- Type O-negative red blood cells can be transfused to people of all blood types, so it is always in great demand but in even shorter supply.
- Type AB positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all other blood types. AB plasma is also usually in short supply.
To learn more about donating and volunteering, please visit the American Red Cross`s website: www.redcross.org.