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By
Diane Forrest, RN
When I was in college, I knew a guy who had a rare blood
type. Every couple of months or so he
would go to the Red Cross and get paid for a pint of blood. Then with the money he received he would be
able to pay some expenses. Now that he
is no longer a starving student, he continues to go to the Red Cross, only now
he donates his blood for those in needs.
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Enticing people to donate their blood is not an easy
task. Several large corporations have
blood drives for their employees offering incentives and prizes. The blood mobile can be seen at local
festivals or health fairs. They will
even go to high schools to encourage the older students to donate. When I was in high school I wanted to donate,
mainly to get out of class, but also to help someone who needed it.
If there is a local tragedy, people will flock to the
hospitals to donate their blood, and even if they don't have the same blood
type, their blood will be stored for future use. The biggest problem faced is storing the
blood. Shelf life for plasma can be up
to a year, but red blood cells can only be stored for as long as 40 days, and platelets
for only 7 days. This makes blood
donation a constant need.
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There are specific requirements for donating blood. You must be at least 17 years of age, must be
afebrile at the time. A medical history
is checked, and a screening test is performed to make sure there are no
medications or any possible diseases.
Pregnant women are differed, and sometimes the elderly to prevent any
health risks.
Today is World Blood Donor Day. This is the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the
scientist who discovered the ABO blood group system. As of 2008, the WHO estimated that more than
81 million units of blood were being collected annually. Donating blood is relatively simple and painless. After the questions and blood screening, you
simply lie in a chair, a needle is inserted in your arm, and then your blood
flows into a bag. It doesn't take very
long, depending on how fast your blood flow is.
You need to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes and enjoy some snacks so you
don't get dizzy or faint.
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Why don't you go and donate some blood today, who knows
you might even get a free tee shirt or a day off work with pay not to mention
the great feeling you will get from saving someone's life.
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