Reason #10. “I'm Too Busy.”
Blood donations are vital to the welfare of our community. A single blood donation can save up to three lives, and it only takes about an hour!
In that same amount of time, you can get a pedicure, get your daily dose of exercise, watch about half of your favorite movie or just spend time with your family and friends. But you can give blood for the benefit of others and feel just as good, if not better, as you would have if you had done these things for yourself.
For most of the time, you won’t even have to have a needle in your arm. Part of the hour it takes is a screening phase, spent answering some simple questions, having your iron checked and getting your blood pressure taken. The last few minutes of your time is spent as snack time, enjoying cookies and juice in the canteen area.
Because your iron level, blood pressure and cholesterol are checked when you donate, giving blood doesn’t just benefit the recipients of your blood — you get a mini-checkup, too! However, while giving blood can help detect health issues early on, it is no substitute for regular medical check-ups.
There may be other health benefits to giving blood as well! Donating blood regularly lowers your own risk of heart attack and stroke. According to Florida Blood Services, regular, long-term blood donors have an 88 percent lower risk of heart attacks and a 33 percent reduction in overall cardiovascular events, including heart attack, strokes and peripheral vascular disease. Blood donation has also been associated with a lowered risk of certain types of cancer.
What if you needed a blood transfusion, or your parents, siblings or children did? How would you feel if someone with your blood type or theirs said he or she was too busy to donate? It only takes an hour of your time to give someone else a lifetime.
A resident of Easton, Sarah Peters is a junior at Penn State University, and a Public Relations Intern at Miller-Keystone Blood Center.
.