January is Blood Donor Month. The figures are staggering. Blood is always in need, as someone needs blood every two seconds, according to America's Blood. Think about that. Every two seconds. It took you longer to read that first sentence. The U.S. transfuses more than 15 million pints of blood each year, and three lives are saved with just one pint of blood. So what are you waiting for? When are you going to start donating blood?
Requirements are simple. You need to be at least 16 or 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, but there are a few medical conditions that may prevent you from being an eligible donor. Click here for a list of medical conditions that could mean you won't be able to be a blood donor at this time.
With the cold weather-related issues that come up and road accidents on the rise, the need for blood donors is on the rise, The American Red Cross says. It's also the time when donations dip, The Huffington Post noted, so blood banks around the country need you.
The American Red Cross also performs laboratory tests for infectious disease markers on every single unit of donated blood, testing for Chagas disease, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, Human Immunodeficiency viruses Types 1 and 2, Human T-Lymphotropic virus, West Nile virus and Syphilis. So consider it free testing for markers on those tests as a bonus for your generous blood donation.
And if you still need inspiration, let's talk about James Harrison, the aussie who has saved the lives of 2 million babies to date. Known as "The Man with the Golden Arm," Harrison, 78, has been donating blood every week for the last 60 years. The husband, father and grandfather started donating blood soon after he underwent a serious medical procedure when he was 14-years-old.
"In 1951, I had a chest operation where they removed a lung -- and I was 14," says Harrison, according to CNN.
"When I came out of the operation, or a couple days after, my father was explaining what had happened. He said I had (received) 13 units (liters) of blood and my life had been saved by unknown people. He was a donor himself, so I said when I'm old enough; I'll become a blood donor."
When Harrison was old enough to become a donor, the doctors came upon something miraculous.
"In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year, doctors didn't know why, and it was awful," Australia's Red Cross Blood Service's Jemma Falkenmire said. "Women were having numerous miscarriages and babies were being born with brain damage."
It was discovered that Harrison had an unusual antibody in his blood, leading doctor's to develop a life-saving injection called Anti-D. The injection prevents women with rhesus-negative blood from developing RhD antibodies during their pregnancy, which attacks their unborn baby's blood cells. This can lead to brain damage and death for the affected babies, until since Harrison came along.
"Australia was one of the first countries to discover a blood donor with this antibody, so it was quite revolutionary at the time," Falkenmire said.
"Every bag of blood is precious, but James' blood is particularly extraordinary," she added, as previously reported by HNGN. "His blood is actually used to make a life-saving medication, given to moms whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies. Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James' blood.
"And more than 17% of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives."
Harrison has now donated plasma more than 1,000 times, and he is considered a national hero.
But despite the weekly business as usual for Harrison, "Never once have I watched the needle go in my arm," he said. "I look at the ceiling or the nurses, maybe talk to them a bit, but never once have I watched the needle go in my arm. I can't stand the sight of blood, and I can't stand pain."
You could be the next hero. Remember, every two seconds, someone needs blood.
