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Daniela Mendoza
Dr. Bragg
AP Language
19 August 2013
Helping Others One Drop at a Time
Blood Donations are simple procedures that could save many lives. Most of the people
suffering serious diseases are about to lose their lives because they need blood transfusions.
Nowadays, it is hard to acquire blood transfusions because not many people are willing to donate
blood. Perhaps they are scared or they just do not feel like sticking a needle in their arm and
donating blood. People need to know that donating blood is not that hard; it is just a matter of
being strong enough. People should provide some of their blood because this could save many
lives that could someday influence the future. Donating blood could prevent a death, a tragic
loss, or a sad ending to a happy story. It could also prevent a mother from leaving her children, a
student from starting her career, or even a child from not living life. Why not prevent a death?
The lack of blood supplies in many hospitals is affecting many people. Millions of
patients go to hospitals in hopes of recovering, but many of these patients are in need of blood
transfusions. They also do not know that they could end up in a waiting list just waiting for some
wonderful person to donate some of his or her blood so that they can obtain a blood transfusion.
Why should they go through this when people could just simply donate blood and make
everything better?
Car accidents and other tragic events are happening quite often and the only thing the
community can do is donate blood to save lives that could otherwise be lost. According to
Hofstra University, “in the U.S., someone needs a blood transfusion every two to three seconds,
and 95% of all Americans will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives.” No one
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wants to see a family member or a dear friend in the verge of death. There is a high chance that
people who are unfortunate enough to be in a car accident, might need a blood transfusion. The
donation of blood could determine if a person lives or dies in that very moment. It would be
easier and more effective to just donate blood and therefore increase the chances of survival for
people who were involved in life threatening accidents.
The need for blood supplies is increasing daily and nowadays “about 40,000 units of red
blood cells are needed every day” (Blood Donations/Blood Banking). People who need blood
transfusions are patiently waiting for blood to save their lives. It is necessary that people donate
blood because “a person can donate one unit of blood that can be separated into four individual
components that could help save multiple lives” (Why Donate Blood?). Elements that are found
in the bloodstream like the red blood cells, the white blood cells, the platelets, and the plasma
can be administered separately to different individuals. One person can donate one pint of his or
her blood and then the elements found in the blood are divided into different sections.
According to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, there are many reasons for why
a person needs a blood transfusion like “a sudden loss of blood because of trauma, an anticipated
or actual loss of blood during surgery, low hemoglobin before, during, or after surgery, severe
heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease, bone marrow failure and moderate to severe anemia.” Many
cancer patients are in need of blood transfusions every day because the treatments that they have
to go through are harsh on their immune systems. All the radiation that they receive affects the
flow and production of good blood cells, which can make it harder for the cancer patient to feel
better.
Cancer patients need blood donations the most. The blood donated could prevent them
from dying. Many of these patients have been fighting cancer for a long time and deserve to
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survive this illness. People should donate blood so that these cancer patients can overcome their
disorder and be with their loved ones.
Hospitals are filled with patients that are in need of blood transfusions, but about “20
percent of recipients are children” (Reasons Why You Should Donate Blood). Many of these
children are cancer patients who are fighting for their lives. Most of the cancer patients need
blood transfusions because “surgery to treat cancer is often a major operation, and blood loss
may lead to a need for red blood cell or platelet transfusions” (American Cancer Society). They
want help. They demand help from people, organizations, and even the government, but no one
seems to want to help. It is society’s responsibility to help and secure the future of the children in
our time. Donating blood can and will help these youngsters.
There are benefits for those who donate blood. Donating blood is like a mini checkup.
Before extracting blood, nurses check that the blood is clean and that there are no malignant
subjects in the blood. This helps people know if they have a deadly disease. They check for
“Hepatitis viruses B and C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Human T-lymphotrophic
viruses (HTLV) I and II, Syphilis, and West Nile Virus and Chagas Disease” (Blood
Donations/Blood Banking). If any of these diseases are found in the donated blood, a specialist
will let the donor know. Blood donations can help people diagnose if they are sick and this could
save their lives.
Blood donations can also help people know what type of blood they have. There are eight
different types of blood. These include O-positive, O-negative, A-positive, A-negative, Bpositive, B-negative, AB-positive, and AB-negative. People with negative types of blood are
hard to find; therefore, their blood is highly needed. This is important because knowing the blood
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type that a person has makes it easier for hospital personnel to administer the right blood type as
fast as possible.
During the blood donation, the blood pressure and cholesterol levels are checked. These
two are “two major risk factors when it comes to heart disease” (Blood Donations/Blood
Banking). It is vital that people know their blood pressure and cholesterol levels so that they can
live a long happy life with no worries. The early discovery of high blood pressure and high
cholesterol levels can prevent some illnesses like diabetes.
Donating blood also helps reduce the iron levels in the bloodstream. It has been said that
“blood donors are 88% less likely to suffer a heart attack and 33% less likely to suffer any type
of cardiovascular event” (Health Benefits of Donating Blood). If donating blood could help the
donor too, why not do it? This is beneficial to the donor and to the recipients that receive the
donated blood. Recipients are often people who were involved in serious accidents, people who
are suffering from cancer and people who are about to have surgeries like open-heart surgery.
Some people believe “that iron has a significant impact on atherosclerosis, or hardening
of the arteries” and “when you give blood you are removing 225 to 250 milligrams of iron from
your system, thus cutting your risk of heart disease” (Health Benefits of Donating Blood). A
person who has too much iron in their system could suffer from heart disease. Donating blood
can save the donor’s life and the recipient’s life.
It is recommended that women donate blood occasionally, especially when menopause
starts. “Once a woman goes through menopause her risk of heart attack increases, but donating
blood can reduce that risk” (Health Benefits of Donating Blood). The health benefits that women
acquire from donating blood are boundless.
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A person has seven to eight pints of blood in his or her system and only one to two pints
of blood are taken from the donor during blood donation. The body restores the blood supply in
about a month. Some people who are about to have a surgery are allowed “to donate blood a
couple of weeks before undergoing surgery, so that his or her blood is available in case of a
blood transfusion. Donating blood for yourself is called an autologous donation” (Blood
Donations/Blood Banking). There are people who volunteer to donate blood, but they have to go
through a process to be able to donate blood. These volunteers “must be at least 16 years of age,
or in accordance with state law, must be in good health, must weigh at least 110 pounds, must
pass the physical and health history examination given prior to donation” (Blood
Donations/Blood Banking).
The Blood Centers Organization stated that “if donors gave two or four times a year, it
would prevent shortages” (Reasons Why You Should Donate Blood). Shortages are extremely
common in the United States. Currently, “60 percent of Americans are eligible blood donors but
only 5 percent donate annually” (Why Should I Give Blood?). Blood donations are essential.
Volunteers are needed. Whoever donates blood will have peace of mind knowing that a death
could be prevented thanks to the donation.
The public does not realize that by donating blood they could be preventing the deaths of
many. Most people do not seem to care that a few people are in the verge of death. This is quite
tragic. Blood donation is favorable to many people. The donors receive a quick checkup and
people who obtain the blood will probably live longer. Donating blood also gives people peace
of mind, because they know that they helped someone somewhere. They helped someone who
really needs it, someone who could have died without the blood. With the help of blood
donations, many recipients can live normal lives just like regular people. There is no way to
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know the future; consequently, people should donate blood and be prepared for whatever may
come. A blood donation could save someone’s mother or father. One pint of blood could save a
cancer patient. Donating blood could save the teenager who was involved in an awful car
accident. One drop of blood can save many lives. Donate some blood and be prepared to feel the
satisfaction of knowing someone somewhere will survive thanks to the blood donated.
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Works Cited
American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 27 Sept. 2011. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Blood Donations/Blood Banking." RWJ. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, n.d. Web.
15 Aug. 2013.
"Blood Transfusions." RWJ. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Health Benefits of Donating Blood." One Blood. OneBlood, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Reasons Why You Should Donate Blood." Blood Centers of the Pacific. Blood Centers, n.d.
Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Why Donate Blood?" Advancing Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide. Ed. AABB.
American Association of Blood Banks, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
"Why Should I Give Blood?" Hofstra U. Hofstra U, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.