Five beliefs about blood donation that should not keep you from donating

Blood comes in many "flavors"

Donating blood is a simple process with a lot of work done in the background. It only requires the donor to show up, answer honestly a few simple questions, and then lay down while the blood is being collected. Yes, there is a needle involved, and maybe some slight discomfort while the blood is being drawn, but those two things are nothing in comparison to what that unit of blood will do for someone who needs it.

Once collected, blood is separated into different components, tested for safety, and sent to hospitals and other health care facilities. The blood components may be used as follows:

• Red Blood Cells for those who are bleeding or have some sort of anemia and need those cells replaced.
• White Blood Cells for certain people with weakened or non-existing immune systems.
• Platelets to help heal wounds faster and better.
• Plasma for burn victims or those who have some sort of clotting disorder.
• Protein for treatment of low blood pressure. Material for research.

Even with all these known benefits and adverse reactions to donating being incredibly low and very tolerable, people are still weary of donating blood...

1. Not enough blood excuse: Some people are afraid that they don't have enough blood to donate a unit of blood (which is about a pint). The average adult has between 10 and 12 pints of blood, more than enough to survive from giving one unit. Still, people are encouraged to donate only once every 56 days.
2. I'll catch something by donating excuse: All of the equipment used to collect blood is sterile, and the people who collect blood use sterile EVERYTHING when taking your blood. The somewhat personal questions asked before you donate are to keep the recipient of your blood safe from infections which may not show up in blood tests immediately after you become infected.
3. The government will implant a chip in me when I donate excuse: This one is a funny one. People expect a government that responded very poorly to Hurricane Katrina, allowed a man to try to blow up a plane with a bomb in his underwear, and allowed lead-lined toys to come in from China to actually implant a chip and track over 300 million people in the United States without any of those people actually being suspicious.
4. The blood just gets thrown out anyway excuse: So, because milk expires, cows should not be milked? Blood is literally living tissue that requires the body to survive past a certain point. Just like you wouldn't give expired milk to children, you can't give expired blood to people who are sick and needed. This is why you need to donate on a regular schedule. (Blood expires after about 42 days.)
5. The questions asked are just too personal excuse: The questions you are asked during screening need to be personal because this is a very serious matter. If you are a sick person, the last thing you need is to be infected by contaminated blood. So the questions asked, and the testing done on the blood, are all in an attempt to keep the blood supply safe. If you are not comfortable answering these simple questions from a medical professional, then whether or not you can donate blood is not your biggest problem.

Whatever you aprehensions are about donating blood, please try to get over them. Talk it over with a health care provider, or find someone in your circle of friends and family who has donated blood. Just a few minutes of your time every couple of months helps many people who are going through much worse than just a needle stick in the arm.

For more info: Frequently Asked Questions About Donating Blood