If you have ever donated blood or thinking of being a donor I applaud you; this is literally giving life to someone you don’t know and may never meet.
Every 2 seconds, someone would need blood transfusion either as accident victims, complicated childbirths, sickle cell patients, premature babies, cancer patients etc and there’s hardly enough blood because people who are eligible to donate are scared to donate or do not even know that they can and should donate.
An adult human body contains about 10 pints of blood but sometimes during transfusion, the body may need up to 50 pints of blood or more during surgery or managing internal bleeding, that’s why blood donation is encouraged.
World Blood Donor Day aims to raise awareness for more donations and ensure that blood and blood products are safe. The day also provides an opportunity to call to action governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources and put into place systems and infrastructures to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.
The slogan for this year’s blood donor day is “give blood and keep the world beating’.
Blood is essential to life and it is up to us to keep it flowing. There’s a lot that science can do but producing artificial blood is not one of them, although there have been attempts and synthetic blood trials, no one has been able to produce safe synthetic blood for human use. There are some intricacies involved in blood donation, you must know them to safely donate and remain healthy.
What to know before you donate blood
You can donate blood if you are between the ages of 17 and 65.
No matter what your blood group is; O+, A, B, AB or O-, it’s still very important to donate, theres no preferred blood group.
- You must weigh about 50kg or more to be eligible.
- Drink plenty of water on the donation day.
- Get plenty of sleep the night before donating.
- Eat green vegetables and foods rich in iron like lean red meat, salmon etc
People with diabetes and high blood pressure can also donate blood but they must make known their current health status and current medications.
Skip fatty foods and any unhealthy food and snacks before your donation
You can only donate 1 pint of blood every 56 days.
Must be physically and mentally ready to donate without pressure.
Benefits of blood donation
When you donate blood, you not only save a life you also get some physical and psychological benefits from it.
Research shows that blood donation can increase your blood fluidity and reduce high blood pressure.
It Helps your blood get rid of excess iron. Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease both have a connection with excess iron stored in the body, regular blood donors keep those levels low and in check.
Blood donors have a lower risk of getting cancers.
You get free and regular checks every time you go to donate. Tests for your cholesterol level, HIV, Hepatitis B, and C
Donors also get the psychological gratification from being able to save a life.
Takeaway
Blood donation is something to be proud of. It is a painless process that is usually voluntary but some people in Nigeria get paid to donate blood which is still a great deal.
A couple of friends who have given birth recently said the hospitals make the father of the child donate a pint of blood in case of any complication during the birth process and fathers who are not eligible to donate can just pay for blood from the blood bank.
You can help families like this by donating blood especially if you are a universal donor. O Negative is a universal donor although it is a rare blood type, O negative is especially relevant when people with rare blood types require blood.
Find out how you can become a donor in your location or visit a Redcross branch to know how you can be a part of the World Blood Donor Day.