Donating Blood: Giving Of Yourself

One of the most rewarding things you can do is to give of yourself. Out of everything you can do to give of yourself, there’s very few things that can have an impact as great as donating blood. It is literally giving the gift of life.

How Are Other People Helped?

When you donate blood, there are many uses for it. People that have been in accidents that have experienced blood loss need donated blood to replace their own lost blood. Blood is also needed for patients in surgery. There are some medical conditions, such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia that parts of your blood donation can help. All of these conditions require blood transfusions to keep patients alive, and your single donation can be used to help save up to 3 peoples lives.

The Rewards Of Donating Blood

We should all be satisfied with just knowing that we’ve done something that will make a difference in the lives of others. Honestly, there are several benefits to donating blood.

Less than 38% of the population is eligible to give blood due to health reasons. So, before you donate you must be screened. This includes a check of your temperature, blood pressure, and hemoglobin levels to make sure you are healthy enough to give. Before your blood can be given to someone else, it also must be screened for various diseases, such as West Nile virus and HIV. If any of these tests come back positive, the donor agency will notify you. So you get a mini-health screening for donating blood.

Also, people who donate blood frequently are 88% less likely to suffer from heart attacks. Donating blood regularly reduces the viscosity of the blood in your body. That means the blood flows more easily through your circulatory system.

How Do I Prepare To Give Blood?

If you’ve never given blood before, the two most important things to do to prepare are to eat well and hydrate. When blood is taken, it is roughly 10-12% of the blood in your whole body. Your body needs nourishment to replenish the lost blood. With that amount of blood taken you will experience a sudden drop in blood pressure. You are likely to have a dip in your blood sugar level also. Either condition can cause you to faint. For this reason, a donation agency typically has a snack area with various drinks and cookies available for before and after you donate.

Now Go Out And Give!

Donating blood can be an enriching experience for your life, and a life saving gift for the recipient. There are various local, regional, and national donor agencies, so find one near you and start giving.

Housekeeping: I’ve started reviewing every single past blog post, as I realize there are a lot of improvements that I can make, from correcting typos to clarifying my meaning to improving search engine optimization. Having said that, I completed edits to Reboot the Blog: The Raven’s Return Flight, Jimmy Buffett Studio Albums – Top Ten, Highly Connected People: Bringing People Together and Influencing Others, and Audience Engagement: Finding My Voice.

Teaser: Next time, we’ll talk a bit about cause and effect.