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 The
Need  Who
Can Donate Safety
& Testing
Approximately 38,000 units of blood are used each day in the United
States. One unit is about the equivalent of one pint.
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There are many reasons why
people may need blood. They might have been injured in an auto
accident, as happened to Ellie. She needed 30 pints of blood!
But other accident patients might need even more. |
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People who need a bone marrow transplant could easily require 20 units
of blood and 120 units of platelets!
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A person undergoing heart
surgery could use 6 units of blood and 6 units of platelets. |
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And someone in need of an
organ transplant might use as many as 40 units of blood, 30
units of platelets, 20 bags of cryoprecipitate and 25 units
of fresh frozen plasma! |
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Blood centers often run short of group O and group B blood. Shortages
of all groups and types of blood occur during the summer and winter
holidays.
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Chris is a young man
who knows how important it is for people to give blood. While
in high school, he played football and went on long bike rides.
And then, one day, all of a sudden, he started to feel badly. |
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"I was diagnosed with
idiopathic dilated cardiomiopathy... which is when your heart
becomes enlarged due to a virus. It was very serious. I was
told I needed a heart transplant." Chris' operation was
a success, and as a token of his appreciation, Chris decided
to hold a blood drive at his church as part of making Eagle
Scout. "They were all very compassionate people and the
blood drive was a great success. Without people who care, and,
in my case, without people who wanted to be organ donors, you're
looking at someone who wouldn't be here right now." |
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Tiffany requires frequent
transfusions as a result of a blood disorder. "My condition
is sickle cell anemia which is a blood disorder that causes
your red blood cells to form into the shape of a banana and
your veins to get smaller and sticky. They say it gets worse
as you get older. I'm only 15 and I've been in the hospital
at least twice a month to get a transfusion. If no one was donating
blood... a lot of people in this world woudn't be living." |
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Jenny has a rare bone
cancer called Ewings Sarcoma. "I've had at least 40 blood
transfusions... at least. By donating blood, you're almost giving
somebody another life. I mean, if you can't produce your own
blood, you can die. So by getting other people's blood, it's
like, they're keeping you alive. The way I figure it... I'm
only 15 now, and I've got a good 60 or 70 years ahead of me...
thanks to people who care."
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Seth also had cancer
and received blood transfusions as part of his medical therapy.
"If there was no blood bank, the doctors couldn't do the
type of cancer treatment they do today. I've already gone through
surgery and chemotherapy. The chemotherapy killed the tumor
and shrunk it. And then I went into surgery and had the tumor
removed. "Facing a disease like this really makes you appreciate
all the beautiful things in life."
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So by getting
other people's blood, it's like, they're keeping you alive.
The way I figure it... I'm only 15 now, and I've got a good
60 or 70 years ahead of me... thanks to people who care. 
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—
Jenny,
blood recipient |
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