During summer months, the rate of blood donations drops significantly. Whether due to travel, school breaks, or the more sun-soaked and easygoing vibes, the fact remains that blood donations go into short supply.
But while the vast majority of people check out of donating blood (and just about everything else) June through September, the need for blood only intensifies. Blood donations are essential in helping people cope with a variety of health problems, from accident and burn wounds to heart surgery and organ transplants, to the many issues that affect those battling cancer. In each of these cases, there’s no substitute for blood in helping to provide a speedy and healthy recovery. This is especially important for those with rare blood types, who may have more limited access to their type of blood all year long.
To help illustrate exactly why donating blood is so important, the staff at Elite Daily teamed up with the American Red Cross to highlight a few key statistics that help to paint a clear picture of why donating blood matters, especially in the summer.
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Blood donations are useful for a variety of reasons as patients rely on blood for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Taking a break from your summer schedule to give blood can make a lifesaving difference.
Only three out of 100 people in the U.S. donate blood. Having only three percent of Americans donating blood means that access to blood — especially rarer blood types — is far from sufficient. More blood donors are needed to ensure there is a sufficient supply available for hospital patients of all types.
Only seven percent of people in the U.S. are type O negative — which means it’s always in great demand while often in short supply. Type O negative red cells are incredibly useful for medical procedures as they can be given to patients of all blood types. If more Type O negative blood types donated blood, the impact could save countless lives.
A blood donation can be done in as little as 60 minutes. This is huge, as a single blood donation can save up to three lives and there’s hardly any risk, as your body replaces the plasma from your donation within about 24 hours.
According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 40,000 people lost their lives to car crashes in 2018. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood. Through your blood donation, you can help a car accident victim get back on their feet.
About 1,000 babies are born with Sickle cell disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require constant blood transfusions throughout their lives. A donation of your blood could help a person with sickle cell disease to live a long healthy life.
According to the American Cancer Society, there were over 1.7 million new cancer cases diagnosed last year. In many of these cases, patients will need blood, even daily, as is the case in chemotherapy treatment.
The impact of donating blood cannot be overstated. Each year, 4.5 million lives are saved by blood transfusions. Help save a life today by scheduling your blood donation at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Sponsored by the American Red Cross
