Blood donation and transfusion can be related to the“light at the end of the tunnel” for a lot of individuals involved in an emergency or life-threatening situations. Blood transfusions and donations help people who are injured, losing blood, having surgery, getting cancer treatments, or being treated for other diseases that affect the blood, like sickle cell anaemia.
Here are some facts:
- An average human being has about 10.5 pints (5 litres) of blood.
- Just one donation (1 pint) can save up to 3 lives.
- There are no risks of contracting a disease when donating blood if a sterile needle is used.
Donations can come in 4 forms:
- Whole blood donation; done after every 56 days
- Red power donation; done every 112 days, can be given 3 times a year.
- Plasma donation; done every 28 days, can be given up to 13 times a year.
- Platelet donation; done every 7 days, can be given up to 24 times per year. (American Red Cross, 2021).
Planning to donate? Here are some important things to do before and during donation:
- Drink a lot of water (up to 47cl).
- Don’t consume alcohol
- Eat a healthy meal that is low in fat.
- Call the attention of a nurse if, during donation, you feel lightheaded, nauseous after resting, eating or drinking, and if you notice a bump or continued bleeding at the needle site.
Let’s continue to “Give blood and keep the world beating”.
Raise a glass in the comment section to all blood donors today!
Cheers and Happy Blood Donor day!
~ Abanobi, Nkachukwu .N
To all blood donors, thank you for saving lives.