January is National Blood Donor Month. Blood donation is a way for donors to be able to give life to others with little effort. You always hear that donating blood saves three lives. But what does that mean?
When you donate blood, you’re contributing to a “blood bank.” The blood bank holds blood of all types and distributes the blood to hospitals as the need for blood arises.
There is always a need for blood donation. This is because blood can only be kept for about 40 days before it expires. Many people donate blood regularly in order to help keep up the blood supply. However, many people aren’t aware that blood is needed so often.
Hospitals use donated blood in a variety of ways. It’s used to help cancer patients fight off disease, it’s used in emergency rooms when a patient’s oxygen levels dip, and it’s used when a person who has suffered a major injury causing blood loss. The list of uses for donated blood grows as medical advances develop. The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks has a page dedicated to the stories of recipients of donated blood.
At Pettit Law Office, we have seen how beneficial blood donations are. Our family was able to spend more time with a wife, mother, and grandmother when she received blood transfusions in her fight with breast cancer. These transfusions help cancer patients fight off disease and replenish their supply of “good” blood. The “good” blood helps cancer patients’ bodies fight harder after going through damaging chemotherapy. Blood donations give cancer patients additional time to spend with their loved ones and a better chance to successfully fight off cancer.
Our office has also have had clients’ lives saved by blood transfusions after being in a car crash, hurt at work, or when bleeding isn’t caught by medical staff. In the minutes after an injury causing major bleeding, a person can lose massive amounts of blood in a short period of time. When medical personnel get the bleeding stopped, it’s important to replenish the person’s blood supply. This is because blood carries elements throughout the body that allow it to continue functioning (i.e. nutrients to cells & oxygen to the brain.) Without a proper blood supply, a person has a much lower chance of survival.
These reasons are why Pettit Law Office believes that donating blood is important for all people to do if able. Giving blood is an easy way for someone to help people when they need it the most. It costs nothing (other than a little of your time) and helps so much. We hope that if you’re able, you’ll decide to give blood also.