A few weeks ago we saw America’s generosity in the long lines

of people waiting to donate blood after the Hurricane Katrina disaster and again with Hurricane Rita. These blood donation heroes felt strongly about helping out with the 9/11 tragedy. According to the Red Cross, a year has passed and the demand for blood donations is increasing. I would like to offer a few reasons why blood donation heroes are still needed.

First, the demand for blood cells is increasing. Surgeries that require more transfusions, such as organ transplants, are becoming more common. The demand for blood in chemotherapy treatment is also increasing. Both transplants and chemotherapy make it difficult for patients to develop their own healthy blood cells, so these patients require frequent transfusions. The younger generations have not made donating blood part of their lifestyle. We have fewer people eligible to donate due to more restrictions on donating blood. For example, some drugs make people ineligible to donate. The world is experiencing increasing numbers of blood shortages. In January this year, blood collectors reported a critical blood shortage. A recent survey found that 7% of hospitals had postponed surgeries due to a lack of available blood. Dr. Celso Bianco, president of America’s Blood Centers, concluded: “Stress on the blood supply system is increasing. We look forward to educating and cultivating a younger, healthier generation of blood donors to replace those who will soon no longer be able to. donate. “About 60 percent of the population can donate blood, but only 5 percent actually do.

Second, more children need blood. Of the 70 million children in the United States, hundreds suffer from various forms of leukemia, sickle cell disease, require transplants, and are born prematurely. Each year, more than 3,000 new cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are diagnosed in children under 15 years of age. These children need life-saving components such as red blood cells and platelets. According to Bianco, “many of these children today run, jump and play because they have another chance at life. In most cases, this would not be possible without the generosity of voluntary blood donors.”

Third, donating blood saves lives. Every day the Red Cross needs 25,000 units of blood to meet the needs of accident victims, trauma patients, children with illnesses, surgical patients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and patients with kidney failure. A single blood donation can be divided into up to three parts: it is used for three patients and the opportunity to help three lives.

Fourth, donating blood can save your life. Dr. Jukka T. Salonen of the University of Kuopio in Finland found that “blood donations may be associated with a lower risk of heart attack in middle-aged men.” The University of Kansas has expressed similar views in studies. The University of Kansas Medical Center found that men who donated blood experienced 30 percent fewer incidents of heart disease, bypass surgery and stroke than donors who did not.

Blood donation heroes give a gift that will last a lifetime.