Give the gift of life: Resolve this New Year's to donate blood. The heart of many New Year's resolutions are based on self-improvement. Things such as lose weight, get healthy, go to the gym, start running, etc. While those are all admirable goals, a wonderful addition to your New Year's resolutions should be to give the gift of life and donate blood.
The American Red Cross and America's Blood Centers provide outstanding information on a variety of topics, inlcluding who may donate blood and how to set up a blood drive in your community. The American Red Cross says that a pint of donated blood can save up to three lives.
The Armed Services Blood Program is another source for information. They are the official site of the United States Military Blood Program. Blood is needed across the country for those injured or wounded and for those needing transfusions for other medical reasons.
Giving blood can truly make the difference between life and death, and because blood has a limited shelf life, the supply must be constantly replenished. In the United States, the holiday season is one of the times when available blood supplies are at their lowest.
This year, along with the New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get healthy, add the one that can save the life of someone you may not know, but who is undoubtedly someone's loved one. Think of your own loved ones and imagine how tragic it would be to lose one because there was not enough available blood. Or think of the men and women who are risking their lives to protect your freedom and imagine that there was not enough blood if they were wounded. We as a people can make sure that never happens.
Lastly, for those of you who really want to know, a pint of blood weighs about 1.1 (that's one-point-one) pounds. That means you can give not only resolve to lose a few pounds during the New Year, but to give a few precious ones away to someone who really needs them. Happy Holidays!
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