After my accident almost 7 years ago, I nearly died from blood loss. I went into hypovolemic shock, which, in a nut shell, means the body's organs don't have enough blood for proper circulation and they start to shut down. I had to have blood transfusions right away and over the next few days, as my body was still losing blood. Doctors were worried I might not make it if they couldn't get the bleeding stopped. It took almost 50 units of blood over those several days to replenish my body's supply.
50 units of blood...each unit from a different person. 50 separate people to save 1 person's life...mine.
Summer months tend to have the highest need for blood supply. I am so very thankful that there was enough blood supply the day of my accident that August. As of this posting, the LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa website show that they are in critical or urgent need (meaning less than 3 days worth of blood on hand) of almost each type of blood. Wow!! To think that 1 in 7 people entering the hospital need blood and our blood supply center has less than a 3 day supply on hand right now is very unsettling!!
In addition to traumas like mine, I know mothers who have had to have blood transfusions after giving birth, as well as newborn babies who needed blood. Every 2 seconds, someone somewhere needs blood. You never know if it will be someone close to you in need, or even yourself.
I had never considered donating blood prior to the accident and didn't really know anything about it to be honest. If you are in this same boat, here is some information for you, taken from the LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa website.
* If you are at least 16 years old, in good health, and weight at least 120 pounds you may be eligible to donate.
* Donating blood takes 5-10 minutes (plus time to register, have a quick health screen and eat a snack when you are done :)...total of 45 minutes to 1 hour )
* You can donate every 56 days
* Only 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate...but only 10% do annually (SCARY!)
* About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood
* 9 out of 10 people who live to age 70 will need blood in their lifetime (WOW!)
If you have been thinking about finding a way to help your community on a regular basis, donating blood is a GREAT option!! It's free, you can do it on your own time and you'll walk away knowing that your selfless donation possibly saved someone's life!
This Thursday, June 26th is LifeServe Blood Center's 32nd annual Blood Donor Day. They will be set up at Valley West Mall and Capital Square. If you have never donated blood or haven't in awhile, this may be a great day to start!! For more information on this event and donating blood in general, visit http://www.lifeservebloodcenter.org
BLOOD DONATIONS SAVED MY LIFE!!
Be a Hero and donate your red stuff!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment