Volunteer Blood Donor Month

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By Nurse Diane

When I was in high school, the blood mobile came to the school for donations.  Nearly everyone who was 18 went to donate because it was a free pass out of class. I was no exception.  When it was my turn to go, I was a little apprehensive, not being one to like being stuck with needles.  Since my veins aren't the best in the world, when I was a baby I had to have an iv surgically inserted in my ankle due to lack of veins, it took several attempts to have the needle stuck in my arms so I could donate.  In fact, every one of the workers there took a turn sticking me.  When they finally struck blood, I only filled a half bag before the well ran dry.  Not only could they not use my blood, but they wouldn’t give it back, and made me go right back to class, without any punch and cookies!

I am the exception, not the rule.  Donating blood is an easy, relatively painless procedure.  And sometimes you even get a free shirt or other gift.

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Since 1970 January has been Volunteer Blood Donor Month.  This month was chosen for many reasons.  Blood donations are the lowest during this month.  With bad weather, holiday schedules, colds or other illnesses keep people home and even the routine volunteers fail to keep appointments to donate.  Icy roads or other accidents also make January one of the busiest times to need blood.

There are a few guidelines for donating blood.  They include:

Be healthy

Be at least 17 years old in most states, or 16 years old with parental consent if allowed by state law

Weigh at least 110 lbs.

Frequency of donations:

Blood (whole blood) Every 56 days

Platelets - Every 7 days, up to 24 times / year

Plasma - Every 28 days, up to 13 times / year

Double Red Cells - Every 112 days, up to 3 times / year

Additional weight requirements apply for donors 18 years old and younger and all high school donors.

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The Red Cross urges everyone to make donating blood a priority this winter. Your help could mean hope for those in need. To find out where you can give blood and to schedule your appointment, go to redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS, for additional information.  If your school, church or place of employment has a blood drive, I would encourage you to participate if you are eligible.  You could save someone's life.

Participating World Blood Donor Day - 2012

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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.

World Red Cross Day

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By Diane Forrest, RN

This time last year we had seen some major catastrophes in the form of tornados and floods.  This year we have been fortunate. The storms our country has encountered have not been as sever, in fact, even the winter storms this year have been mild.  People have been able to relax, take a breath and rebuild from past storms.  The ones who have not been able to relax are the volunteers at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society.  These volunteers work around the clock, and around the globe helping those in need.

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World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day dates back to1922. At that time, the Czechoslovakia Red Cross National Society proclaimed a three-day truce at Easter to promote peace. The goal is to recognize one day every year to advocate for the relief of human suffering from disease, and the humanity of seeing a world free from suffering due to war.

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The Red Cross idea was born in 1859, when Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon the scene of a bloody battle in Solferino, Italy, between the armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or dying on the battlefield and the wounded were lacking medical attention. Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and to feed and comfort them. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war, and pointed the way to the future Geneva Conventions.

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The idea of pooling the skills and resources of Red Cross Societies to provide humanitarian assistance in peacetime, and not just to prepare for relief in times of war, goes back to the founder of the Movement, Geneva businessman Henry Dunant, who was born on May 8.

Ways to celebrate this day include:

• Learn more about the Red Cross
• Support Red Cross programs and efforts
• Send a donation to the Red Cross
• Donate blood today
• Become a Red Cross volunteer
• Thank Red Cross volunteers for their service.