Things You Didn't Know About Donating Blood
Monday, Aug 31, 2020, 9:54 am
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1.It gets tested
Before it can be given to anybody, your blood donation is tested for 13 different infectious diseases. This makes a lot of sense because it is being given to somebody that is already ill, so they do not want to give them blood that is basically infected with something else.
2.1% more
If just 1% more Americans donated blood it would mean that blood shortages in the immediate future would become a thing of the past. This surge in donations would make a huge difference, but of course if they all then stopped it would lead to problems again.
3.A huge amount of blood
If you started donating blood at 17 and continued to do so every 56 days until you were 79, then during your life you would donate a staggering 46.5 gallons of blood. That is a huge volume and can you imagine the difference that would make and to how many different people?
4.The 9/11 effect
After 9/11, an estimated 500,000 extra Americans donated blood. This sudden surge in donations actually led to them having to throw away vast quantities of blood as they simply had that much that they were unable to store it all.
5.A major donor
A guy called James Harrison has actually donated blood over 1000 times in his life. He has done this because he has a rare antibody in his blood, and the rarer something is, then the more they want of it, so he has certainly done his bit as his blood has saved over 2 million babies.
6.They have to act quick
When you donate blood, those red blood cells can survive for a total of 42 days unless they are frozen. After that, the blood is wasted, but they are pretty good at making sure that it is all preserved until it is required.
7.It helps your health
Studies have shown that if you donate blood on a regular basis that you lower your risk of suffering from the likes of diabetes and even having a heart attack. That is not just a ploy to get you to donate as it is actual fact.
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8.They are short of some types
It is often the case that they run short of both O and B type blood cells, so that is why they are seen as being very valuable and they love when they find a new donor with that blood type. If this is you, then be prepared for them to encourage you to donate as often as possible.
9.Cost varies on location
It is scary to think that the cost of blood does depend on where you live. Of course this is all tied in with your medical insurance, but imagine how your zip code can have a big impact on whether or not you can get all of the blood that you need?
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10.It is bought and sold
This is a huge business and donated blood is bought and sold all of the time. In actual fact this is a billion dollar industry all on its own and you never knew that when you donated that pint of blood did you?
11.Not enough do it
Under 40% of the population of the US can actually donate blood, but only 10% of those actually do it. That puts a lot of pressure on blood supplies across the entire country as there is just not enough to go around for everybody that needs it.
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12.We need a lot
More than 43,000 pints of donated blood are required every single day in just the US and Canada. That is because over the course of a year there are 4.5 million patients that need it for some medical reason.
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