06/13/2009

Brother Can You Spare a Pint?

Men’s skins have many colors, but human blood is always red. – French Proverb

Can you stop a speeding bullet? Are you more powerful than a locomotive? Can you leap tall buildings in single bound? I didn’t think so; those powers are usually reserved for our super human friends. You can be hero to someone though, a premature infant, a cancer patient, a trauma survivor, just by giving blood.

Every June 14th is World Blood Donor Day, a day that focuses on thanking donors who contribute to the blood supply and raising awareness about the importance of developing a 100% base of voluntary blood donors, as they have found that the safest blood supply comes from those who are not paid. June 14th is also the birth date of Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian who discovered human blood groups (A, B, AB O, Rh) and made it possible to have safer blood transfusions (there’s one for Jeopardy).

It’s on this day that healthy folks are encouraged to talk about donating blood on a regular basis. According to the Red Cross:

“To give blood, you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in good health. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give blood with parental consent. If you have given blood before, it must be 56 days since your last blood donation.”

You don’t have to have to be more powerful than a locomotive or leap over a tall building to save a life. Put aside the squeamishness about needles and blood, being a hero is as easy as rolling up your sleeves.

- Aunt B