As I opened my email this morning I came across a startling caption reading, “Urgent, Blood Supply Critically Low!” As a regular blood donor, I typically receive emails from the Red Cross asking for another donation. My mother refers to the Red Cross as the “Vampire Agency” due to their non-stop phone calls asking to suck your blood. But as I read this bolded email it occurred to me, why is it that the Red Cross has to nag us to help save a life? It isn’t a terribly painful process and it doesn’t cost any money to participate in. So why is it then that the Red Cross has less than a 24 hour supply of most major blood types?
The thought crossed my mind that some people only think about donating blood in disastrous situations. The media covers natural disasters, car crashes, mass murders, and many other large scale death scenarios when they first occur. These reports typically state the death toll, the number of injuries, as well as the amount of survivors. But it is rare to see any reports as follow ups to those accidents seeing how those people were saved and what it took to save those lives. What most people don’t realize is that every 3 seconds someone needs a blood donation. And while only 37% of the US population is eligible to give blood, only 10% of those eligible donate annually. So while you are appalled by the number of deaths from accidents, you should also be in shock from the miniscule number of blood donors in the US. Especially considering that one pint of your donated blood can save up to 3 lives!
As a college student without a car, I can empathize with those who find it inconvenient to seek out blood drives and/or hospitals to donate at. It then struck me, how did it come to be that every University in the US is not hosting blood drives on a monthly basis? Colleges hold the prime candidates for blood drives and yet they aren’t utilizing their capabilities. Students could then no longer claim that it is inconvenient to donate blood.
If organizations such as the Red Cross are in such dyer need of blood that they are offering gift certificates and free gas, don’t you think that some reform need take place? I would even go as far as proposing that those eligible to donate should be required to give blood by their jobs and private schools. So long as the employers and schools would host blood drives, I believe that it should be a mandatory component of one’s job or enrollment. I don’t believe that this proposition would work for government agencies or public schools simply because their would be too much dispute over the government’s control of a person’s body. I honestly think that required donation would serve as a new hope for those counting on us few who donate to make the effort again. What have you done to help another person lately?
For more information about giving blood visit givelife.org or call 800-GIVE-LIFE.
4 comments:
I believe that this topic is a topic that is probably very widely discussed and should have more emphasis on. People should be donating blood because blood can save many lives today. Also, if more people donate blood then the people with the not as common types of blood can get some as needed.
I really liked your comment about how the Red Cross is almost considered the Vampire Agency in that they ask to suck your blood. That may seem a little bit odd but I think that it is key that people understand the importance of donations. Today there is better technology and there are more people out there who can donate blood. The world population is not so much on the decrease so I do agree that any help that can be offered should to keep people alive and learn from what was wrong in the past.
I agree...
This issue is a major one and should be payed more attention to. I regularly give blood, and feel great about it each time. It may seem a bit uncomfortable at the time, but when you realize you may have just saved three or so lives, it feels good.
I think everyone should definitely be encouraged to give blood. Why not? And yes, blood drives should also be on college campuses around the United States. The Life Share Blood Center always came to my high school at home, and students were always eager to give blood. However, some students were denied because of age/weight requirements. But at college, pretty much every student is over the age of 18. So most college students are eligible to give blood.
Good post on an important topic. The good news is that the Red Cross and other blood mobiles do come on campus on a regular basis. Watch for them; they park at the flagpole, right in the center of campus. Each time I see them, I intend to donate, as my father always did. I plan to do it in his memory. But you know what? I always am to busy, and I have never given blood ever. Your post has made me feel very guilty about this, and next time I see the bloodmobile, I promise that I will roll up my sleeve.
FYI there will be a blood drive on Friday, October 24th on SMU's campus. This event will be taking place from 9 am to 3 pm. Please make the effort to go out and give blood!
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