Blood Donation: The Gift of Life

By Rachel Stockton

Howard Drew is 77 years old, and a retired military commander who hasn't been sick in 12 years. But that's not the most impressive attribute of Howard's. He also has the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having donated more blood than anyone else in the world. Since 1950, he's donated 220 pints.

Drew knows first hand the importance of taking the time to donate blood; soon after WWII, he and some fellow soldiers were in a bus accident. Five troops were killed, and several more were badly burned. Although Drew's injuries were not life threatening, his hands still bear the scars of his heroic effort to pull several victims out of harm's way (NPR). From that point on, Howard Drew became a regular and committed donor.

Certainly, Howard realizes just how fragile life is, and what an intangible gift donated blood can be.

“Intangible asset” is an accounting term to used describe benefits that go beyond mere monetary value. Donated blood is similarly priceless; on their website, the Red Cross reminds us that blood is something money cannot buy, it can only be given from one person to another.

In a 2008 interview with NPR, teenager Sophie Davis describes her role as her high school's blood drive organizer: “. . . I visited about 14 classes and talked directly to students about the blood drive," she says. She makes a point of sharing with fellow students the surreal feeling of realizing that the pint of blood leaving your body could save three lives in an emergency.

Overcoming the Fear Factor

Kjersti B, a University of Arkansas senior, says she put off donating blood because she hates hypodermic needles. “But”, she says, Once I realized that I didn't have to watch the needle go in or the blood go out, I began to regularly donate.”

10% of all blood donors are teenagers and young adults on school campuses, so easing the fears of possible donors is a priori for some community blood banks. For the most part, the only bothersome side effect is light headedness, says Lynn Yowell, an RN and regular blood donor from Arkansas. No need to worry, however, because there's always a plentiful supply of cookies and Kool-Aid to keep even the most squeamish donor from feeling queasy.

On Site Screening

An added bonus of visiting your local blood bank is that you can get a free mini-health screening right on site before you donate. In fact, many people don't even know their own blood type until the first time they donate. The medical staff will also check your blood count, pulse and blood pressure to make sure that you are a healthy and viable candidate.

“I found out that I was anemic; I couldn't donate blood, but I discovered there was a reason why I felt so tired all of the time,” says Rachel H., an accountant, who went to a blood drive during her lunch hour two years ago. “After I'd been taking iron for awhile, I was retested and able to donate.”

If you have a chronic condition such as anemia or diabetes, you can still donate as long as you are being treated by a health care professional.

While these practical reasons to donate blood are wonderful, probably the greatest benefit of donating is how good it feels. As human beings, we're wired in such a way that we feel more connected to our fellows when we give something back. If you neglect to donate blood on a regular basis, you are, in essence, depriving yourself of a natural and altogether legal, high. You can walk a little taller and hold your head a little higher when all is said, done and donated. As the Red Cross reminds us, The need is constant, the gratification is instant. Not a bad return on such an intangible investment.