One Day at a Time: Donate Blood!

One donation of blood can save three lives!! If that's not reason enough to help, I don't know what is!

Here are some additional facts about blood donation, courtesy of the American Red Cross:

The number one reason donors say they give blood is because they "want to help others."
Two most common reasons cited by people who don't give blood are: "Never thought about it" and "I don't like needles."
One donation can help save the lives of up to three people.
If you began donating blood at age 17 and donated every 56 days until you reached 76, you would have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 1,000 lives!
Half of Red Cross donors male, and half are female.
The American Red Cross accepts blood donations only from volunteer donors.
Among Red Cross donors in a given year, 19 percent donate occasionally, 31 percent are first-time donors, and 50 percent are regular, loyal donors.
Only 7 percent of people in the U.S. have O-negative blood type. O-negative blood type donors are universal donors as their blood can be given to people of all blood types.
Type O-negative blood is needed in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known and with newborns who need blood.
Forty-five percent of people in the U.S. have Type O (positive or negative) blood. This percentage is higher among Hispanics – 57 percent, and among African Americans – 51 percent.
Only 3 percent of people in the U.S. have AB-positive blood type. AB-positive type blood donors are universal donors of plasma, which is often used in emergencies, for newborns and for patients requiring massive transfusions.