Blood Donor Appreciation Day - January 11th

Are you a Blood Donor?                                             
Yes? Pat yourself on the back.
If not, why not?
There are good reasons not to be a blood donor, most are due to medical conditions.

There are bad reasons not to be a blood donor.                            

• Don't have time
• It might hurt
• Never thought about it much

Did you know:

1. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood

2. More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day

3. One out of every 10 people admitted in a hospital needs blood

4. Total blood transfusions in a given year: 14 million (2001)

5. The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints

6. The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O

7. The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event occurs

8. Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98% of whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives

9. More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.

10. A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
Taken from the American Red Cross Website

Remember you could be one of those statistics.
Donate Blood! Thank those that do donate today, including yourself.