Blood saves lives!
Wilshire has been a leader among faith-based organizations in blood donation, winning the award for the highest number of donors among Dallas faith-based organization for three of the last four years.
How many donors would you guess it took to win that distinction?
A. 30
B. 50
C. 75
D. 100
Since we got the award for the highest number of donors, the answer must be D, right?
Unfortunately, the correct answer is A. Thirty to 40 people are all that sign up to give blood.
Some of you are thinking that if there were a disaster that called for massive quantities of blood to treat casualties, you would give blood immediately. Unfortunately, if you did that, your blood would not be available to use for at least 48 hours. The blood that would be available is the blood that already has been donated and processed.
What happens to a unit of blood that someone donates? It will undergo at least nine tests, including tests for HIV and Hepatitis C. White cells are removed to reduce the likelihood of reactions to the blood when it is given to a recipient.
Then the unit of blood will be separated into parts: plasma (the liquid part), red cells, and platelets. It is rare that whole blood is given when only one part of the blood can meet the needs of the recipient. This enables medical personnel to use precious resources more efficiently, and one unit of blood may be given to three different people.
Who can give blood? Anyone who is healthy, at least 17 years of age, and weighs at least 110 pounds. The time limit between donations is eight weeks (56 days).
“Healthy” means you feel well and can perform normal activities. Chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure do not exclude a person, if the condition is under control. Other aspects of health will be discussed as a part of the donation process before any blood is collected.
Some conditions that would exclude a person from giving blood are having had hepatitis after age 11, having malaria in the past three years, inhaling street drugs in the past year, or having AIDS. A history of cancer does not exclude anyone, if there has been no disease in the past five years, unless you had leukemia or lymphoma. Travel to some foreign countries in the past one to two years will exclude others.
What is involved in donating blood? First you will need to provide basic information such as name and date of birth. You will have a mini-physical examination including temperature, blood pressure and pulse. A drop of blood will be taken to determine if you have enough blood to donate safely. You will be asked questions about your health status.
If you qualify to donate, a needle will be inserted in your arm. The process of donating blood takes about 10 minutes. Your body will replace the fluid in a few hours and the cells within a few weeks. You may feel faint or dizzy or have a black and blue mark, redness or discomfort where the needle was. You will be offered orange juice to help start the fluid replacement for your body.
How do you sign up to participate in Wilshire’s blood drive, which is scheduled for Feb. 19? Call the church office or a member of the Blood Reserve Committee.
Personnel to manage the blood drive are assigned based on the number of people who have signed up ahead of time. If you are a previous donor, expect a call from the committee to schedule your donation time.
(214) 452-3100