I. It is estimated that in the United States, every three seconds a patient needs blood
II. That's a lot of blood
A. Sometimes the blood can be pre-donated by the patients themselves
B. However, most of the blood, needs to come from healthy volunteer donors
III. Yet only 5% of the eligible US population donates blood in any given year.
A. Healthy donors are the only source of blood.
B. As Blood can't be made or harvested, there is no substitute.
IV. The blood supply in the US is consistently low
A. And the demand for blood increases each year
B. Much faster than the rate at which people are donating blood
C. As a result the supply of red blood cells (the most used blood component) barely serves the growing demand.
V. To put this need into context, currently more than 4,000 gallons of red blood cells are used in
the US every day
A. And that amount is increasing.
VI. It is estimated that 85% of us will need a transfusion at some point in our life.
A. By donating blood to insure there is enough in supply, the life we save may be our own.
B. Just one blood donation could save up to three lives
(Transition: I'm hoping most of you by now are considering giving blood, and I'm sure most of you are wandering what it entails)
I. Well Giving blood is incredibly simple, yet immensely helpful
II. Anyone who is...
A. At least 17 years of age
B. Weighs at least 110 pounds
C. And is in good health
IV. Can donate
V. The donation process, from the time you arrive until the time to you leave, is only about an
hour.
A. The donation itself is only about ten minutes.
VI. Less than 1 pint is taken during a donation
A. That fluid content is replaced naturally by the body within 24 hours
B. And the red blood cells lost are replaced within ten days
VII. So as you can see, its safe, simple and most importantly it can save someone's life.