I gave blood today!

And I got a sticker, a nifty lapel pin and a T-Shirt to prove it! Boy, they go all out for these donation drives. They even included a free lunch with vegetable soup, chips, cookies, applesauce, ice cream and various thirst quenchers. My husband and I took the kids with us so as to "set a good example". His idea - not mine. They were pretty good, for the most part, and the people involved genuinely didn't seem to mind, some even thinking it was really a good idea. The pre-donate questions take awhile. They have to stick your finger to test your blood first, now. I don't think they did that the last time I donated ten years ago. The point was to check the levels of my copper sulfate or something or another. The first test, where my blood is supposed to clot into a ball and fall through this vial of blue liquid, I failed. Apparantly, mine rose instead of dropping. So, she squeezed the little pinprick in my finger to get more blood and ran it through a machine. They needed it to be 38 and I came out with 39. Whatever works.
After finishing all the little questions and such, they ushered me to a reclining chair and stuck me with a bigass needle. "Squeeze the ball for five seconds and release for three. Continue this throughout your donation." Yay. It took 5:03 for me to fill their little bag full of my blood. It took my husband 7:02. Apparently, I squirt faster. (heh heh, I said squirt.)

Seriously though, folks. If you've never donated, you really should think about it. When my girls were in the hospital after a very, very early birth, they had to have heart surgery. Both of them. They needed transfusions, too. Granted, the preemie donation bag is about the size of a bottle of nail polish, but still. I'm very grateful that it was available for them.

Here are some facts to consider:

According to the National Blood Data Resource Center, U.S. institutions collected more than 15 million units of whole blood and red cells in 2001, the most recent year for which data are available. Blood centers collected 93% of the donated units, while hospitals collected 7%. These donations were made by approximately eight million volunteer blood donors. The American Red Cross collects almost half of these donations across the U.S.

According to the most recent data from the National Blood Data Resource Center, U.S. hospitals transfused nearly 14 million units of whole blood and red blood cells to 4.9 million patients in 2001 - that's an average of 38,000 units of blood needed on any given day. Whole blood can be separated into its components red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate. The total number of units of all of these components transfused in 2001 was 29 million. And the volume of blood transfused is increasing at the rate of 6% per year. In emergency conditions such as war or disaster, the need for blood may change.

Under normal circumstances, every two seconds someone in America will need a blood transfusion. Blood transfusions are used for trauma victims - due to accidents and burns - heart surgery, organ transplants, women with complications during childbirth, newborns and premature babies, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

Blood has a limited shelf life. The different components of blood can last from 5 days to a year or more.

• Platelets must be used within 5 days of donation.
• Red blood cells may be stored under refrigeration for a maximum of 42 days. Frozen red blood cells can last up to 10 years, but because of the high cost involved, only a small portion of the blood supply can be frozen.
• Plasma is generally frozen and must be used within one year.

Because blood is perishable, new donations are needed every day.

Donating blood is a safe process. Needles and bags used to collect blood are used only once and then discarded, making spread of infection to the donor not possible.

Regulations in the United States allow people to donate whole blood once every 56 days. The waiting period between donations can be different for other blood components. For example, donating only platelets in a process called apheresis requires only a 3 day wait before a person can give again. Donating two units of red blood cells through a similar process doubles the waiting period to 112 days.

The whole process takes about an hour. It starts with registration, a health history and a mini-physical. Then comes the actual donation, which usually takes less than 10-12 minutes. Afterward, you will be asked to spend a few minutes in the "canteen" where you can have a light refreshment before returning to your normal activities.

A blood donation equals approximately one pint of blood. The average adult body has 10-12 pints. The vast majority of people will not feel any different because of the donation. A very small percentage may experience temporary dizziness, but some rest and fluids will help you feel better quickly. Your body will replace the lost fluid within 24 hours.