Every minute of every day, someone needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you who makes the choice to donate. I am going to talk about the different parts and types of blood, why donating blood is important, and finally how can you help.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. requires a transfusion of donated blood. Blood transfusions are used to treat accident victims, organ and marrow transplant recipients, cancer and heart surgery patients and those with blood-related diseases like sickle cell anemia.

When you donate blood, it consists of the following 4 parts: Plasma, Platelets, Red blood cells, and white blood cells, with white blood cells being used infrequently.

Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood and is used to treat patients with severe burns and clotting disorders.

Platelets are essential for blood clotting and are routinely needed to support cancer therapy, open-heart surgery, blood disorders and organ transplants.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body and are needed most after significant blood loss through trauma or for patients undergoing surgery or experiencing anemia. This is the most frequently used component of blood donations.

In addition to the 4 parts of blood, there are 8 different bloods types (O+, O-, A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-), with O+ and A+ being the most common in the US and AB- the least common in the US. Type O- blood is also the universal blood type and is the only blood type that can be transfused to patients with other blood types, regardless of their  type.

Now that we know about the different parts of blood and blood types, why is donating blood so important?

Donating blood is important for several reasons:

First, there are not enough donors.

When you make a blood donation, you join a very select group. Currently only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.

Additionally, since you can donate whole blood every 56 days, up to six times per year, more and more people are needed to donate.

Second, not everyone is eligible to donate.

Some studies suggesting that only 37% of the US population is eligible to donate. Thus is you are able to donate it is that much more import to do so.

Third and finally, blood cannot be stockpiled.

Red blood cells are useable for only 42 days and platelets are useable for only five days.

In Colorado alone, more than 4,000 volunteers are needed each week to meet needs and to be prepared for unforeseen events.

If you started donating at age 17, you could potentially donate more than 300 times, helping more than 900 patients by the time you turn 70 and donating a total of 46.5 gallons of blood.

How can you help?

The best way to help out is to find a location where a blood drive is occurring and to donate blood. The process of donating blood is broken down into the following areas:

1. Donor Questionnaire
2. Meet with a staff member who reviews the questionnaire, takes your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and red blood count, to make sure you can donate
3. Make a whole blood donation while sitting at a reclining chair. The actual blood donation takes anywhere from 5 – 10 minutes
4. You will be asked to sit in the recovery area where you will have refreshments and light snacks

The whole process takes approximately 1 hour.

One of the common questions/concerns about donating blood is safety. First, because sterile, disposable needles and supplies are used once and safely discarded after each donation, you cannot get HIV/AIDS or any other disease by donating blood.

Second, the people who draw your blood are specifically trained to collect volunteer blood donations and undergo three weeks of classroom training and two weeks of field training under the guidance of a qualified trainer. They then work one on one with a seasoned technician for two to three additional weeks.

Finally, 13 tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.

There are a number of organizations in Colorado who perform blood donations with Bonfils (www.bonfils.org) and the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) being the most recognized.  These organizations also have the ability to host blood drives for companies and organizations around the state.

Just remember blood centers in the U.S. often have difficulty maintaining even a three day supply for routine transfusion demands and much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors. Blood is a gift we all have inside of us to give to those who are injured, sick, or in need. Blood donation. It's about an hour of your time. It's About Life.