Giving Blood

Well today I faced one of my greatest fears.......

NEEDLES!!!!!

I finally made up my mind and decided to give back by giving blood. Every Saturday on the same street as I work on there is a farmer's market and the Blood Mobile sometimes makes an appearance. Today I decided that enough is enough, no more fear. I have watched my best friend and one of my Mom's fight cancer, I have met countless people who have had major surgeries, I am turning on the TV everyday and watching the devistation in Haiti and I finally bucked up and decided to do something that could help. Most people probably think to themselves...."what good is 1 pint of blood really going to do?"....well, I decided to research this and here is what I came up with...

• A bone marrow transplant patient needs three weeks of transfusions (My Best Friend Danielle had to have a BMT in 2009 to help her kick cancer's ass, without blood donations one wonders what would have happened)
• When you make a blood donation, you join a very select group. Currently only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.
• Blood transfusion is needed for •women with complications of pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancies and haemorrhage before, during or after childbirth
• THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON....YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE...and you never know if it could be that of your son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, friends, or just a complete stranger!

According to the World Health Organization There is a constant need for regular blood supply because blood can be stored for only a limited time before use. Regular blood donations by a sufficient number of healthy people is needed to ensure that safe blood will be available whenever and wherever it is needed.

Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person — the gift of life. A decision to donate your blood can save a life, or even several if your blood is separated into its components — red cells, platelets and plasma — which can be used individually for patients with specific conditions

So what I ask today is that you please contact your local red cross, find about about a local blood drive and just take a little time to help out others.