There are a lot of ways that you can help others. You can give money, volunteer, raise awareness, the list goes on. There is one way of helping, however, that you may not have given much thought…giving blood. You may not know this, but next to doctors, hospitals, and equipment, blood is one of the most important things for a functional health system. Unfortunately there are times when blood is in short supply. You may be thinking, can’t they just make more blood? Well, in spite of numerous medical advancements, we still cannot manufacture blood. This means that the only way to get blood is through donations. So, whenever a car crashes somewhere, somebody falls down the stairs, or is injured due to violence, they will most likely need blood in order to survive. This is especially true in the developing world where car crashes, violence, and natural disasters take a high human toll. Organizations like the Red Cross do everything they can to make sure that hospitals and doctors in these places get the blood they need, but they can only do that with the help of people like you. These are 25 important things you should know about donating blood.
To get it out of the way, you've probably heard by now that the blood you donate is sold to hospitals
Source: wikipedia And that it's a $4.5 billion dollar per year industry
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay While this is true, it shouldn't keep you from donating. Why? Every blood donation center has costs, lots of them. It needs to hire staff and fund equipment. Taking blood is expensive. Who do you think paid for your "free" I Donated Blood t-shirt?
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Besides, your blood is needed. In fact, every two seconds someone in the US needs blood
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Just one pint of your blood can save up to 3 lives
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia After he needed 13 liters of blood during a surgery when he was 13, James Harrison vowed to donate blood when he turned 17
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia It was soon discovered that his blood contained a rare antigen that cured Rhesus disease
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay Since then he has donated more than 1,000 times and saved an estimated 2 million unborn babies from the disease
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The demand for blood transfusions is growing faster than the number of donations
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Although 60% of the US population is eligible for donating blood, only 5% does
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Although coconut water can temporarily substitute blood plasma, blood cannot be manufactured. It can only come from donors.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia There are usually shortages of all blood types during summer and winter holidays
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia The most needed blood type is "O"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia To donate, you must generally be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 50 kg (110 pounds) and be in good health
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Sometimes things like traveling abroad or having tattoos can make you ineligible due to the possibility of contamination
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia An average adult has roughly 10-12 pints of blood in their body. Only about 1 pint is given during the donation.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Back to the costs of donating blood - all blood has to be tested for HIV, Hepatitis, and other diseases before it can be released to hospitals
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia This process is usually significantly more expensive in coastal states (of the US) due to higher costs (staffing, etc)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia You can donate blood every 56 days
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia This means that if you started donating around the age of 17 and continue donating every time you become eligible you would have donated nearly 50 gallons of blood
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia That would save roughly 1,000 lives
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia People with blood type O- are universal donors and their blood can be given to recipients of any other type of blood
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Blood type O- is often used in emergencies before the patients blood type has been determined
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia It is also used with newborns who need blood
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Only 7% of Americans have blood type O-
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 
