When you see this picture or I mention donating blood, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some of you maybe it is the Red Cross.
For others, like me, it might bring a sense of fear or dread. I have a very distinct aversion to needles and before continuing this post, I think it is important to confess that I have never given blood.
As I mentioned, very often we see commercials on TV for the Red Cross. Especially during times of disaster or catastrophe. It is very common for that group to be on the front lines helping people who need it.
In fact, they are currently doing a huge advertising campaign to get people to come out and donate blood. With everything that is happening due to the Corona Virus, many people are actually taking the shelter in place order to heart.
Schools and community buildings are closing down as well as many businesses. What this means is these facilities that normally would have hosted a blood drive are shut down and by default, the blood drives are shut down as well and just don't happen.
The Red Cross is a global organization with vast resources and funds (probably more than they would lead you to believe). What you may not know, is that in many cases there are local or regional companies that do this same thing.
My sister in law works for one of them and this is the reason I decided to take the time to write this post. I didn't know this before, but apparently donated blood is only viable for a certain number of days (42 to be exact).
With locations for blood drives being shut down and people trying to stay in as much as possible, there is a huge shortage of blood available for them to use when they need it. Another thing I learned from my sister in law is the fact that if you donate blood to the Red Cross, they may ship that blood all over the world. On the other hand, if you donate to one of the smaller groups like Michigan Blood (now part of the Versiti group), all of that blood stays local to help the people in your community and region.
For me, that feels like a good reason to donate at one of their drives as opposed to a Red Cross drive. The more they have on hand the less they have to ship in from the Red Cross which means the Red Cross can focus on helping people worldwide. Ultimately, it is your choice though.
Either way, the most important thing you can do is get out and donate. As I mentioned before, I have never donated blood. I actually told my wife the other day that if I was able, I would suck it up and donate right now. Unfortunately, I can't. I don't keep it a secret that about two or three years ago I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I am in remission now, but I am still not allowed to donate blood until I have been in remission for five years I think it is.
If you are healthy and not a wuss about needles like me, I encourage you to find one of those smaller blood banks near you and do your part to save a life. If there aren't any near you, then by all means take part in a Red Cross drive (or just go in, don't wait for a drive). The key thing is that we help them build their stocks back up. Covid-19 is mainly a respiratory thing, but hospitals could still need blood on hand to deal with any complications from the disease.
Plus, we all know other medical emergencies don't stop happening just because Covid-19 is the main thing in the headlines right now.