Do you ever wonder what is the best thing that you can gift another human being as a human? It is literally life! You can save a lot of lives by donating blood. This volume of blood gets replenished by the body within 24 to 48 hours and the red blood cells are replenished within 10-12 weeks.
Every year millions of lives are saved by the generous souls who donate their blood. It has saved various patients who were thriving from life-threatening diseases and helped them in gaining a longer lifespan.
Why Is Blood Donation Necessary?
If you donate blood regularly, you already understand the importance of the deed, however, if you don’t, you are not alone. Although almost 60% of Americans qualify for donating blood, hardly 5% turn up for blood donation. Anne Eder, executive medical officer of the Red Cross in America says that at any given time, only three days of blood supply is available in America with a person in America requiring a transfusion of blood every two seconds!
Every day almost hundreds of road crashes happen in the country, apart from the major operations, cancer-related procedures like chemotherapy, pregnancy complications, thalassemia, and a lot of different cases.
Apart from this, there are certain blood types like O-ve, and AB-ve which are rare in nature, therefore people must step forward and donate blood.
Health Benefits of Donating Blood
Donating blood is not just a noble cause that helps in saving lives but also provides some health benefits in return.
- Improves Heart Health– Increased iron level in the blood leads to a higher chance of heart attack. Donating blood regularly helps to maintain a normal iron level in the blood and improves your cardiovascular health overall reducing the heart attack risk by 88% and stroke risk by 33%.
- Reduces Cancer Risk– As per what Miller-Keystone Blood Center suggests, donating blood can reduce the risk of cancer, including liver, colon, lung, stomach, and throat cancers. The risk level is in correlation with how often you donate blood.
- Produces New Blood Cells– The donor’s body begins redistributing the blood immediately after withdrawal. Marrow produces new cells within 24 to 48 hours of donation, and the number of red blood cells that are lost by the donor during donation is replenished within one to two months. Donating blood, therefore, helps stimulate the new blood cells production, which in turn can ensure your body is always healthy and running at its peak efficiency.
- Helps in Burning Calories– A regular donation of blood can also boost your fitness: a pint of blood, i.e., 450 ml helps to burn 650 calories in the donor’s body. Some middle-aged people have also felt reenergized and rejuvenated when they gave blood regularly.
- Free Health Check-Up- In addition to all other benefits, donors receive a free health screening and mini blood test before donation, which includes an HB level test as well as blood pressure and body check. Some major ailments are also examined in blood, and the donor is notified immediately in strict confidence if any of these tests reveal positive results.
If you are feeling encouraged to donate blood, then with a bit of research you can find out blood donation camps that are held in your surrounding from time to time by non-profit organizations like Red Cross, Vitalant, etc, and charities to encourage more and more people to donate blood for their fellow citizens. You can participate in the next one, no matter if it’s a Vitalant Blood Donation Camp or any other organization.
Blood donation organizations highly encourage everyone to donate blood and educate the people around regarding the importance of blood donation and its advantages. A single donation can save up to three lives. When you donate blood, you donate life as well.
