Give Blood – The Gift of Life
Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment to give.
You can help patients with cancer in many ways. On of the easiest ways to save someone’s life is to donate blood. Many times throughout treatment, chemotherapy patients need blood transfusions to boost their red blood cell counts.
BLOOD DONORS URGENTLY NEEDED TO HELP THE AMERICAN RED CROSS BOOST THE LOCAL BLOOD SUPPLY.
American Red Cross is asking all eligible blood donors to donate blood as soon as possible. Blood inventories are critically low and need to be replenished immediately. While all blood types are urgently needed, there is a critical need for Type O blood.
Where does your gift of blood go?
Tubes from each unit of blood are sent to a lab to be tested. No matter how many times a person gives blood in his or her lifetime (that could be as much as 330 tmes), each unit will be tested every single time to help ensure the safety of the blood supply.
The American Red Cross can process each unit of blood into three main components: Red cells, platelets, and plasma. Each of the three components can be transfused to different patients with different needs.
PINT-SIZED FACTS
The Missouri-Illionis Region services 135 hospitals in 122 counties.
An adult body contains 10-12 pints of blood. One whole blood donation equals one pint.
It takes only 24 hours after your blood donation for your body to replace your blood volume.
97.6 percent of people who live to be 72 will require some type of blood transfusion or blood product in their lifetime.
Fewer than 5 percent of all eligible adults in the Missouri-Illinios Region donate blood. It takes regular, repeat donors to ensure all needs are met.
African-Americans with diseases like sickle cell anemia, cancer, leukemia or kidney disease are less likely to have physical reactions to blood donated from other African-Americans.
Patients who undergo procedures such as chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, or open heart-surgery depend on life-saving platelets to to prevent severe bleeding throughout the course of their treatments. Platelets are donated through a procedure called pheresis. Platelets have only a 5-day shelf life — so the supply must be constantly replenished.
O negative blood is what physicians can safely order in an emergency situation when there is not the luxury of taking time to perform a blood typing test. This is becuase O negative blood is considered “Universal”. This vauable blood can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type.
O postitive is the almost “Universal” blood. This is because O posititve blood can be transfused to A postitive, B postitive or O posititve.
A shortage of type O blood is the worst of all blood shortages, because O blood must be available to treat trauma patients, as well as meet the transfusion needs of all type O patients.