Hi guys! Happy Labor Day weekend! I’m so glad we have a long weekend school is being such a pain at the moment.  Last week my college campus hosted a blood donation event and since my professor ended her class after 15 minutes, I decided to go ahead and donate since I had nothing better to do. It was my first time donating blood! I’d had my blood taken before for labs and such so I figured it would have been something similar to that. Everyone was super nice! They offered me a lot of free things such as drinks, T-shirts etc.  as well as a $20 e-gift card. The overall experience was very rewarding, and I highly recommend donating if you are able! This experience got me thinking though, how important is blood donation to public health? After some research, here is what I learned! Human blood donations are EXTREMELY important since human blood can’t be manufactured in laboratories. According to the Red Cross, one donation can save up to three lives and every two seconds, someone needs blood in the United States. Red blood cells also have an extremely short shelf life, lasting only 42 days and with platelets lasting five days. In addition to this, hospitals also rely on a steady supply of blood donations for multiple things such as organ transplants, emergency surgeries and more. Interestingly, “approximately 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, yet less than 10 percent donate annually.” (LifeSouth) Some more interesting statistics from the Red Cross is that “328 million people currently live in the U.S. Each year, approximately 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood. Annually, this adds up to about 13.6 million units of whole blood collected for donation in the United States. (American Red Cross) Not only is blood donation good for others, but it’s also highly beneficial to you as well. By donating blood on a regular basis, you’re reducing your bloods viscosity and preserving your arteries from any damage. According to the American Medical association, donors have fewer heart attacks compared to those who don’t donate. In addition, for every one pint of blood you donate, you burn 650 calories. Not only does it help your physical health, but it greatly impacts your mental health as well. By donating blood, donors feel a great sense of significance and really make them feel that they have an impact. I highly recommend you guys to donate if able! It was a very rewarding experience and after doing research, I’m very proud I was able to make a small impact :] Please remember to volunteer in your community!

Sources I used:

• https://www.yudabands.org/healthy-to-donate-blood/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21830710446&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxv701MnalgMV5K9aBR1lTSxsEAAYAiAAEgLZJPD_BwE
• https://www.lifesouth.org/what-you-need-to-know/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23745010920&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxv701MnalgMV5K9aBR1lTSxsEAAYASAAEgJajvD_BwE
• Why Blood Donation is Important