In the United States alone, someone is in need of blood every 2 seconds. The reason behind the need for blood could be a surgery, cancer treatment, childbirth, anemia, serious injury, blood disorder, etc., and while 1 in 7 patients entering a hospital will have a need for blood, less than 10% of the U.S. population donates blood. It’s a critical need to preserve the life of many individuals in our communities — and we have the opportunity to be one of the humans who are literally saving those peoples’ lives.
READ: Donating Blood Is More Important Now Than Ever
While many people know that blood is needed, very few of us act on that need. Blood drives often become a big focus after tragedies occur — natural disasters, mass shootings, global pandemics, etc. — and while there is a heightened need after those occasions, the daily need is still vital, and the community is often at a shortage. There is no substitute for human blood. If you’ve never donated blood, let me give you a quick rundown of what the process looks like:
Find a place to donate. Schedule an appointment online or just pop into a community blood drive (on the Big Red Bus or your local bloodmobile). OneBlood.org is a great resource for finding places to donate blood.
Fill out health screening paperwork. Then review some of your answers with a team member. This is designed to protect everyone involved in the blood donation process from anything transmissible by blood being passed on from donor to recipient.
Have your vitals taken. This helps ensure that you are eligible for donating — blood pressure, pulse, iron, any illness symptoms, etc. It protects you from giving blood at a time when your body isn’t prepared to do so. There have been many times when iron was too low (often related to where I was in my menstrual cycle), and I was asked to come back and try again.
Get prepped. Once you’re cleared, you hop onto a seat/bed where you can get comfy and the phlebotomist will prep your skin and arm (they will ask if you have a preference) before tying a band on your upper arm, which helps bring the vein on your arm to the surface and make the needle stick easier.
Start donating. The phlebotomist will give you a heads-up before they stick you and you don’t have to look. Once the needle stick is done (it’s quick, I promise), your blood will begin flowing and filling a blood bag. While that is happening, they offer you drinks and snacks (who doesn’t love a free snack and a Diet Coke?), and you can pop your earbuds in and listen to music or a podcast, read a book, or close your eyes and just relax.
Get wrapped up. Once you’ve hit the blood donation limit, the phlebotomist will come over, take the needle out of your arm, and wrap your arm with a compression wrap (sometimes they will even let you pick the color of the tape)! The amount of time it takes to complete the donation process varies from person to person based on your blood flow as well as what type of donation you’re doing — whole blood cells, double red cells, plasma, platelets. Usually, for me, it’s about 30–45 minutes from starting paperwork to leaving the donation center.
That’s it, you’re done! Most of the time, especially at OneBlood in Jacksonville, there is a promotion and incentive for donating — these can range from a $20 gift card to a place of your choosing (sent to you online), a T-shirt or blanket, free tickets to a Jaguars game or movie, etc.
When I was in high school, the Big Red Bus would come on a regular schedule to the church I attended at the time so that members could donate. I assumed that participation in giving blood was limited to adults, but I quickly found out that at age 16, with parental consent, I could start donating blood… so I did! Every eight weeks, I would schedule an appointment online, hop on the Big Red Bus, and spend less than an hour saving lives. I’m now 32, which means that, though I’ve had intermittent breaks in my donating due to limits around my health, my pregnancy, or waiting periods after a new tattoo, I have spent literally half of my life as a blood donor! It’s an easy way to help save human lives.
If you’re interested in learning more about donating blood, I’m including resources below, and also, please feel free to reach out to me! I’d love to share information with you or help guide you in the process.
- Facts on donor eligibility: Find Out if You Can Give Blood | Giving = Living
- Importance of blood donations and more statistics: Facts About Blood Supply In The U.S. | Red Cross Blood Services
- OneBlood, the blood donation organization servicing the Northeast Florida area: Blood Donation Saves Lives | OneBlood