One in every 7 people entering a hospital needs blood whether they’ve been in a car accident, have been diagnosed with cancer, or are a premature infant. Every two seconds someone needs a blood transfusion, so the need for blood is constant. There are many different reasons as to why someone may need a blood transfusion and also as to why donating blood is so important. Some people think it’s nice to help the community but aren’t fully aware of the effect they’re putting forth. Others just do it because it’s what they’ve grown up with. Their parents may have been regular blood donors and just passed the tradition down to their children.
The biggest reason donating blood is important is because with every donation you can help save up to three patients’ lives. Now when you think about that, you’re spending about an hour of your time and giving so much more to others. One blood donation alone could give someone the chance to survive and live for a very long time.
For example, a pregnant woman could be arriving at a hospital to give birth but walk out having received a number of units of blood because of complications or even just a simple blood-type mismatch between her and the baby. Your blood donation could have been one that helped save that woman’s life and let her spend the rest of her time with her child.
Another reason donating blood is important is because about 38% of the population is eligible to donate yet only 8% do. The reason for this gap in numbers could be a multitude of things: busy schedules, vacations, and most importantly being misinformed about the need for blood. I know firsthand that having a busy schedule is very hard to work with when trying to schedule a blood donation. I couldn’t imagine finding the time to go, which is why I appreciate the drives held here at Incept.
Until I started working here, I had never donated before and never really thought about it. I’m a classic example because I’ve been eligible to donate and just never found the time to do it. The amount of information I learned within my two weeks of training was tremendous! And when I think back to how misinformed I was, I can’t help but share that information with the donors I speak to.
Sometimes you speak to a donor who hasn’t donated in over 6 years, and they wonder why you’re calling. As a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME), I take that opportunity to tell them the need for blood and bring back into their minds why they started donating in the first place. Donating blood is about compassion and helping others and I, myself, will definitely continue to do it for as long as I can.
Why do you donate blood?