Times of economic downturn are when charitable giving may have the most impact, but it is also likely to be moredifficult. It can also be difficult to see the tangible impact of monetary donations.

According to the American Red Cross, a blood donation is required every two seconds of every day. That is 38,000 per day and roughly 14 million for a year. One out of every 10 people admitted to a hospital require a blood transfusion. Money donations provide many valuable resources to hospitals, but they cannot provide blood. Blood donations have an extremely high value due to their necessity in many cases.

There are 12 pints of blood circulating the human body. The human body can sustain small cuts and replenish its supply of blood in time after clotting over the wound. Problems arise when blood is lost too quickly and the heart cannot produce enough blood to meet with the demand for it. That is when blood transfusions become necessary. If patients do not get the blood they need, they will die, regardless of the quality of medical care.

The qualifications for giving blood are very inclusive to facilitate a wide variety of donors. Donors must to be 110 pounds and at least sixteen years of age.

Some other precautionary details can make a donor intelligible to give blood. Donors cannot have their blood drawn if they have received a tattoo within a year, or if they are sick at the time of donation.

The donor’s iron level is checked, and female donors are asked if they are pregnant. Other questions related to sexual activity are asked confidentially to ensure that the blood has not been contaminated in any way. Blood centers take all blood types, and will inform the donor of their blood type for free a few weeks after it has been taken.

There are some medical side effects to getting blood drawn, though none are extremely serious. Patients may feel queasiness or fatigue for a short amount of time. Drinking large quantities of water and eating a large breakfast can mitigate these effects.

The blood drive at MTHS this year surpassed expectations for donations. All 80 spaces on the sign up list were quickly filled, along with a waiting list. At least 80 pints of blood were given, which means that on Friday, Mountlake Terrace students combined to give enough blood to save 240 lives, not counting the possible pints collected later by donors on the waiting list.

There are several opportunities available for students who were unable to give blood Friday but would still like to. The Puget Sound Blood Center has a large facility for blood donation and there are numerous blood centers in the area for quick donation.

The increased economic difficulties can make rising medical costs a much more substantial burden on many families, a burden that could be significantly lessened with more charitable blood given of the type seen at Mountlake Terrace High School last week.

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