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 The
Need  Who
Can Donate Safety
& Testing
Organize
a Blood Drive
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Approximately 38,000 units
of blood are used each day in the United States. One unit is
about the equivalent of one pint. There are many reasons
why people may need blood. They might have been injured in an
auto accident, as happened to Ellie. She needed 30 pints of
blood! But other accident patients might need even more. |
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People who need a bone marrow
transplant could easily require 20 units of blood and 120 units
of platelets. A person undergoing heart surgery could use 6
units of blood and 6 units of platelets. And someone in
need of an organ transplant might use as many as 40 units of
blood, 30 units of platelets, 20 bags of cryoprecipitate and
25 units of fresh frozen plasma. Blood centers often run short
of type O and type B blood. Shortages of all types of blood
occur during the summer and winter holidays. See more uses
of blood. |
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"When I get blood, you
might just say 'oh well, it's no big deal', but it really is
a big deal. You don't realize that people are taking out
time and laying on a bed to give their blood to another person.
When I had surgery, I got five people's blood. I wish
they could know that they're saving my life." |
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"After I was diagnosed,
my doctors put me on a regime of blood transfusions. In
the beginning I needed a blood transfusion every two weeks,
then very quickly progressed to every week, and at the worst
point, I was having a blood transfusion every other day.
I am a testament to the fact that blood donation works - it
is a matter of life and death. The units of blood
products that I have needed has topped 450." |
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"I get blood once a month
because my blood cells are abnormal. Before I have my
transfusion, I feel weak and tired and I don't feel like getting
up and around a lot. After I have it, I feel energized and
very active. If I didn't have people donating blood, I
would die." |
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So by getting
other people's blood, it's like, they're keeping you alive.
The way I figure it... I'm only 15 now, and I've got a good
60 or 70 years ahead of me... thanks to people who care. 
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—
Jenny,
high school student |
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