The Altruism Series: Blood Donations and Blood Drives

COVID-19 turned all of our lives on its ear. Fear of a highly contagious disease. Hospitals shutdown. Elective surgery and normal medical processes and care suspended. Regular treatment and routine care follow ups avoided. Social distancing and quarantining affecting where, when and how to donate/collect blood. Then a major snowstorm!

Everyday 2000 donations are needed in the greater NY area. Who needs our blood?

·        Accident victims

·        Surgery patients

·        People with blood diseases

·        Cancer patients

·        Burn patients.

Why donate:

·        It is the Gift of Life!

·        Up to 3 lives or more are saved with your donation.

·        It is healthy to donate.

·        Blood cannot be manufactured.

·        Animal blood cannot replace it.  

·        People are the only source of blood for those who need it.

·        In the U.S., someone needs a red blood cell transfusion every 3 seconds!

·        1 in 3 people will need a blood transfusion in their lifetime.

For the past 15 years I have chaired or co-chaired, through my Lions Club, the Seaford Community Blood Drive in my old hometown of Seaford, Long Island. A Community Blood Drive is an interesting, fun and dynamic event. In our drive, the coordination is through our Lions Club and engages three elementary schools which whom students in grades K through 5 compete in a Blood Drive Poster contest with cash awards for 1st and 2nd prize by grade level.

Also, our local churches and temples, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, students from the middle and high schools seeking community service (HS students over 16 years old are eligible to donate with parental permission), Chamber of Commerce and the Fire Department all assist in various ways. Most help in promoting the drive via word of mouth and social media, volunteering the day of the drive to escort donors from cot to snack tables, babysitting children of donors or in feeding our blood center workers and volunteers during the long day. And then there is our poster contest awards ceremony. Each year we have been blessed with attendance by many of our public servants who present the children with certificates and citations for their work. They have included our Congressman, County and Town legislators, State Senators and Representatives, Town Supervisors, Treasurers, Comptrollers, Tax Commissioners and Town Clerks…. and more.

The net result has been that we have provided a steady flow of blood donations throughout the year and over the years to the blood center and we’ve been one of the largest single day blood drives in the region. We now conduct or assist in drives throughout the community year-round by calling and alerting previous and new donors of an impending drive as well as assisting at the drive itself. As I noted earlier, the donations collected that day go towards providing saving up to 3 lives per unit collected. Imagine collecting 200+ pints for the day translates into saving over 600 lives.! How about sharing that statistic with a room of the students, parents and families that provided the posters that adorned store windows and public areas throughout town promoting donating at this drive? Seeing the pride reflected in all those faces, that they are as much a part of the lifesaving effort as the actual donors, it just never gets old! It is much a part of why I push this and other drives as why I donate- we are making a difference in so many lives.

I recall my first-time donating blood. I was in my early 20’s. I had an entry level job and was being mentored by a gracious and generous man, Ed M. 6 months into the training, Ed had a cerebral aneurism- he was around 50 years old. There was a call throughout the office to donate blood and help Ed with surgery. I went to the hospital and donated a pint to hopefully help Ed through his operation. Ever since I have regularly donated blood. I have encouraged my family, friends, neighbors and associates to join me. Many like me, have been at this for a long time…Pints become quarts, quarts become gallons, and our donor cards name, blood type and donation levels start looking impressive and they are when you calculate how many lives we’ve impacted and saved!

Each of us have between 8-10 pints of blood within us. It is usually replaced within a few days after your appointment. Donating is usually a quick and painless (my opinion and experience) and can be done in less than an hour for a pint whole blood, which takes into account registering, a brief medical examination (interview, temperature, iron level, blood pressure etc.) and the collection of your blood by an experienced technologist. After blood is collected, you are brought to the canteen table to have some liquids and snacks while waiting a few minutes before release.

There are many excuses for not giving blood, and many are legitimate, and valid. I have observed over the years that when it becomes personal, someone near and dear needs blood for example, passion sweeps in and action takes place. Or when an event like 9-11 happened, people streamed to every blood drive available, willing to be good citizens, good neighbors and patriots. Yet complacency has established a foothold in our society and a lack of community need and awareness of blood supplies are not headline grabbers.

 I recall when the term “Blood Bank” was just that. You donated and were credited with a donation, sort of like a savings account, for that rainy day when and if you’d need it. Interestingly, the national statistics on donations is that approximately 5% of the population eligible to donate blood actually does and here in the greater NY area that percentage is significantly lower- around 2%..... which is contrary to the generous nature of most New Yorkers.

There are many ways you can help with beefing up our blood supply so that we are never in danger of failing our communities and those in need:

a)      Donate at least once a year.

b)     Donate often (there are many types of blood donations)

c)      Sponsor a Drive (Contact me, I will be glad to provide advice and direction)

d)     Encourage others to donate (You may be ineligible but can nudge/convince others on your behalf)

e)     Volunteer to help at a drive, to promote a drive, to solicit donors.

Did I tell you that your donation will help to save 3 lives or more? What better gift to yourself than to know you made that kind of a difference to another human being? I can’t think of any! To learn more about your blood and its importance to our lives and health, this link to “Bloodology” is an informative primer on all things blood!

bloodology_i.pdf (nybc.org)

So, if you are in my neck of the woods, this Saturday 6 February I am chairing the Seaford Community Blood Drive at the American Legion Hall 2301 Penatiquit Ave., Seaford NY 11783. Appointments are from 8:00am through 3:30pm. It is recommended you call for an appointment or book online as we have a limited amount of slots available due to Covid-19 precautions and standards. Call me at 516-322-4148 or book online via: Donor Portal - New York Blood Center (nybc.org)

Thank you and happy Donating!

George Brennan